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Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..19df3e2 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #56085 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/56085) diff --git a/old/56085-h.zip b/old/56085-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 19ec3dd..0000000 --- a/old/56085-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/56085-h/56085-h.htm b/old/56085-h/56085-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index d790462..0000000 --- a/old/56085-h/56085-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5191 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=us-ascii" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Silver Princess in Oz, by Ruth Plumly Thompson. - </title> - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -h2 -{ - text-align: center; - font-weight: normal; - line-height: 1.5; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -.ph4 { text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; } -.ph3 { text-align: right; text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; } -.ph3 { font-size: medium; margin: 0.83em auto; } -.ph4 { font-size: large; margin: 1.12em auto; } - -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%; } - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.right {text-align: right;} - -div.titlepage { - text-align: center; - page-break-before: always; - page-break-after: always; -} - -div.titlepage p { - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0em; - font-weight: bold; - line-height: 1.5; - margin-top: 1em; -} - - -table { - margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto; -} - -.blockquot { - margin-left: 5%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - -.smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} - - -/* Images */ - -.image-center -{ - text-align: center; - margin: 1em auto; -} - - -/* Poetry */ - -.poetry .stanza -{ - margin: 1em auto; -} - -.poetry .verse -{ - padding-left: 3em; -} - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Silver Princess in Oz, by -Ruth Plumly Thompson and L. Frank Baum - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Silver Princess in Oz - -Author: Ruth Plumly Thompson - L. Frank Baum - -Illustrator: John R. Neill - -Release Date: November 30, 2017 [EBook #56085] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SILVER PRINCESS IN OZ *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/cover.jpg" width="253" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus1.jpg" width="415" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h1>The SILVER PRINCESS in OZ</h1> - -<p><i>By</i><br /> -RUTH PLUMLY THOMPSON<br /> -Founded on and continuing the Famous Oz Stories</p> - -<p><i>By</i><br /> -L. FRANK BAUM<br /> -"Royal Historian of Oz"</p> - -<p><i>Illustrated by</i><br /> -JOHN R. NEILL</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus2.jpg" width="310" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>THE SILVER PRINCESS IN OZ<br /> - -Copyright 1938<br /> - -By<br /> -THE REILLY & LEE CO.<br /> - -Printed in the U. S. A.</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: Extensive research did not uncover any evidence<br /> -that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><i>Dear Boys and Girls:</i></p> - -<p>This book will tell you all that happened when Randy -and Kabumpo traveled off to the Castle of the Red Jinn. -Halfway there they met a Princess from Anuther Planet -and her Thunder Colt; later, a villain named Gludwig. -With a name like that, we'd know he was a villain, wouldn't -we? Now DO tell me what interested you most in this -story; any Oz news you have heard lately and all about -yourself!</p> - -<p>There goes the bell now! Well, I'm expecting a merry -message any minute from any of you! Exciting, isn't it? -So here I go to read my first letter!</p> - -<p>Yours, with last year's love and this year's wishes!</p> - -<p class="ph3">RUTH PLUMLY THOMPSON</p> - -<p>254 S. Farragut Terrace,<br /> -West Philadelphia, Pa.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus3.jpg" width="468" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - - -<p class="ph4">To two Little Girls<br /> -FLORENCE LINN EDSALL<br /> -and<br /> -MARY JOSEPHINE RITCHIE<br /> -this book is lovingly dedicated<br /> -by their cousin<br /> -RUTH.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus4.jpg" width="500" height="184" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>LIST OF CHAPTERS</h2> - -<table> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_1">1</a></td><td>The King Rebels</td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_2">2</a></td><td>The Elegant Elephant of Oz</td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_3">3</a></td><td>Gaper's Gulch</td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_4">4</a></td><td>Out of Gaper's Gulch</td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_5">5</a></td><td>Headway</td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_6">6</a></td><td>The Other Side of the Desert</td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_7">7</a></td><td>The Princess of Anuther Planet</td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_8">8</a></td><td>On to Ev</td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_9">9</a></td><td>The Box Wood</td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_10">10</a></td><td>Night in the Forest</td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_11">11</a></td><td>The Field of Feathers</td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_12">12</a></td><td>Arrival at the Castle of the Red Jinn</td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_13">13</a></td><td>Gludwig the Glubrious</td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_14">14</a></td><td>The Slave of the Magic Dinner Bell</td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_15">15</a></td><td>Nonagon Island</td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_16">16</a></td><td>All Together at Last</td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_17">17</a></td><td>In the Red Jinn's Castle</td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_18">18</a></td><td>The Red Jinn Restored</td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_19">19</a></td><td>Red Magic</td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CHAPTER_20">20</a></td><td>King and Queen of Regalia</td></tr> - -</table> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_1" id="CHAPTER_1"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus5.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 1<br /> - -<small>The King Rebels</small></h2> - - -<p>In a far-away northwestern corner of the Gilliken Country of Oz lies -the rugged little Kingdom of Regalia, and in an airy and elegant -castle, set high on the tallest mountain, lives Randy, its brave -young King. When the Regalians are not busy celebrating one of their -seventy-seven national holidays, they are busy tending their flocks of -goats or looking after the vines that cover every mountain and hill, -producing the largest and most luscious grapes in Oz. These proud and -independent mountain folk have much to recommend them, and if they -consider themselves superior to any and all of the other natives in -Oz, we must not blame them too much. Perhaps the sharp, clear air and -high altitude in which they live is responsible for their top-lofty -attitude. Randy, it must be confessed, found the stiff and unbending -manner of his subjects and their correct and formal behavior on all -occasions stuffy in the extreme; and of all the stuffy occasions he -had to endure the weekly court reception was the stuffiest. Just as I -started this story he was winding up another of these royal and boring -affairs.</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">"Hail! Hail! Give Majesty its proper due,</div> -<div class="verse">Hail Randywell, King Handywell of Brandenburg and Bompadoo!</div> -<div class="verse">Boom! BOOM! BOOM!"</div> -</div></div> - -<p>At each crash of the drums the young King winced and shuddered, then, -pulling himself together, he nodded resignedly to his richly attired -courtiers and subjects who were retiring backwards from the royal -presence. As the last bowing figure swished through the double doors, -Randy gave a huge sigh and groan. This was his three hundred and tenth -reception since ascending the throne. Ahead stretched hundreds more, -besides the daily courts where he acted as presiding Judge to settle -all disputes of the realm; countless reviewings of troops; inspections -of model goat farms; and attendance at numerous celebrations for -national heroes of Regalia.</p> - -<p>"Oh, being a King is awful," choked the youthful monarch, loosening his -regal cape and letting it fall unheeded to the floor. "AWFUL! Will it -always be like this, Uncle?"</p> - -<p>"Like what?" His uncle, the Grand Duke Hoochafoo, who was still -inclining his head mechanically in the direction of the door, caught -himself abruptly in the middle of a bow.</p> - -<p>"Oh, all this silly standing round and being bowed at, this 'Hail! -Hail! and Way for His Majesty!' stuff. Galloping Gollopers, Uncle, -I'd like to step out by myself occasionally without twenty footmen -springing to open doors and fifty pages tooting on their blasted -trumpets. Why, I cannot even cross the courtyard, that a dozen -guardsmen do not fall in behind me!" Flouncing over to the window, -Randy stared out over the royal terrace. "Even the goats on the -mountain have more fun than I do," he observed bitterly. "They can -run, jump, climb and even butt one another, while I—" Randy let his -arms fall heavily at his sides. "I have not even anyone to fight with. -If just ONCE somebody would punch me in the nose instead of bowing." -Randy clenched and unclenched his fists.</p> - -<p>"Hm—mm! So that's what you want!" Looking quizzically at his young -nephew, Uncle Hoochafoo crossed to the bell rope and gave it a savage -tug. As Randy's personal servant and valet appeared to answer the ring, -he spoke sharply, "Dawkins, kindly hit His Majesty in the nose!"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus6.jpg" width="500" height="341" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"The nose? Oh, but Your Lordship, I couldn't do a thing like that. -'Tisn't right, nor fitting—nor—"</p> - -<p>"I said hit him in the nose," commanded Uncle Hoochafoo, advancing -grimly upon the terrified valet.</p> - -<p>"Yes, yes, like this!" Bringing up his fist, Randy made such a -splendid connection with the valet's nose, Dawkins toppled over -backwards. Dancing from one foot to the other as the outraged servant -sprang to his feet, Randy prepared to defend himself. But with his hand -clapped to his nose, Dawkins was retiring rapidly. "Thank you!" he -muttered in a strangled voice, "thank you very much!"</p> - -<p>"Did you hear that? He said 'Thank you,'" screamed Randy as Dawkins -disappeared with an agitated bow. "Oh, this is too much; I wish I were -back with Nandywog in Tripedalia—or anywhere but here, doing anything -but this."</p> - -<p>"Now, now! Don't take things so hard," begged his uncle, patting him -kindly on the shoulder.</p> - -<p>"Hard?" Randy glared at the old nobleman. "I can take things hard, -Uncle, but I cannot take them soft. I'll never forgive my father for -getting me into this—NEVER!" Randy's father, former King of Regalia, -tiring of a royal life and routine, had retired to a distant cave to -live the life of a hermit, and Randy, after traveling all over Oz to -fulfil the seven difficult tests required of a Regalian ruler, had -succeeded to the throne.</p> - -<p>"You should not speak like that of your royal parent," chided Uncle -Hoochafoo, tapping his spectacles absently against his teeth, "for you -are very much like him, my boy, very much like him. Hmm! Hmm! Harumph!" -Uncle Hoochafoo cleared his throat thoughtfully. "What you need is a -change, a new interest. Ah, I have it! You must marry, my lad, you -must marry! Some pretty little Princess or rich young Queen, and then -everything will be punjanoobious!"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus7.jpg" width="500" height="327" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Is being married anything like being a King?" inquired Randy -suspiciously.</p> - -<p>"Oh, no. No, indeed, quite the reverse." The eyes of the old Duke, who -had once been married, grew glazed and pensive. "Once you are married, -you will feel less like a King every day," he promised solemnly. "And -the arguments alone will keep you occupied for hours." Uncle Hoochafoo -raised both shoulders and eyebrows. "Wait, I'll just go consult the -wise men about a proper Princess for you."</p> - -<p>"No! No! I do not wish to be married," announced Randy, stamping his -foot. "I'll not marry for years," he declared stubbornly. Then, as -loud outcries and tremendous thumps interrupted them, he hurried over -to an open window just in time to meet a large rock that came crashing -through the amethyst pane.</p> - -<p>"Look out!" blustered Uncle Hoochafoo, jerking Randy to his feet, for -the rock had completely bowled him over. "Well, I see you have your -wish. How's that for a knock in the nose, my lad? Not only the nose, -but also the beginning of a beautiful black eye!"</p> - -<p>"Have I really?" Racing over to a mirror, Randy proudly examined his -injured orb. "Oh, Uncle, isn't this fun? Who did it? What's up, d'ye -s'pose—a revolution?" Hurrying back to the window, Randy recklessly -thrust out his head to stare down into the courtyard. Kayub, the -Gatekeeper, had his shoulder braced against the gold-studded doors in -the castle wall, but even so, the doors were bulging and creaking from -the thunderous blows struck from the other side.</p> - -<p>"Open in the name of the LAW!" boomed a tremendous voice. "Thump! -Thump! Kerbang! OPEN in the name of a Prince of the Realm! Open this -door, you unmannerly Scuppernong!"</p> - -<p>"No, no, stay where you are!" panted Kayub, waving desperately with one -arm for the guards to come help him. "Stay where you are, or go to the -rear entrance! Who do you think you are, hammering on the doors of His -Majesty's castle?"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus8.jpg" width="500" height="332" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"I don't think, I know!" raged the voice from the other side of the -wall. "I am a Prince of Pumperdink, you unspeakable clod. Open up -this door before I break it down!" And after even more furious thumps -another shower of rocks came flying over the wall.</p> - -<p>"Great Gillikens! I think—I believe—why it IS! Kayub, Kayub, open the -door! It is a Prince!" shouted Randy, using both hands as a megaphone.</p> - -<p>"'Tis nothing of the sort," grunted the Gatekeeper obstinately. "I -looked through me little grill but a moment ago and it's no Prince at -all, but a parade! A parade of one elephant, if you please, and when I -orders him to the rear entrance he ups with his trunk and flings rocks -over our wall!"</p> - -<p>"But this elephant IS a Prince," insisted Randy, banging on the window -ledge. "Besides, he's a great friend of mine."</p> - -<p>"Open the door, fool!" directed Uncle Hoochafoo, leaning so far out the -window his crown fell to the paving stones. "The King has spoken. Admit -this elephant at once! At once!"</p> - -<p>"And about time," fumed an indignant voice, as Kayub reluctantly -drew the bolts and, swinging wide the doors, stepped back to let a -magnificently caparisoned elephant swing through. "A fine welcome this -is, I must say, for the Elegant Elephant of Oz! Out of my way, wart!" -Picking Kayub up in his trunk, the visitor jammed him down hard into a -golden trash barrel, trumpeted fiercely at the double line of guards -who had instantly sprung to attention, and went swaying across the -courtyard.</p> - -<p>Now nowhere but in Oz could an elephant talk, much less come hammering -on the doors of a royal castle, but in Oz, as we very well know, -animals talk and act as sensibly as people, which makes Oz about ten -times as exciting as any other country on the map. But while I've been -explaining all this, Randy had run down the steps and was half-way -across the courtyard.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus9.jpg" width="500" height="316" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Kabumpo, KABUMPO, is it really you? Oh, at last—AT LAST you are -here!" Impatiently waving aside the guards, Randy led his mammoth and -still muttering guest into the palace.</p> - -<p>"Kaybumpo, is it?" sniffed Kayub, jerking himself with great -difficulty out of the trash barrel. "Such goings on. Well, all I -say—" The Gatekeeper peered carefully over his shoulder to see that -the elephant was safely inside the castle, then, raising his arm for -the benefit of the staring guards, he cried fiercely. "All I can say -is—just let him show his snoot around here again and I'll kabump him -down the mountain!"</p> - - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_2" id="CHAPTER_2"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus10.jpg" width="500" height="327" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 2<br /> - -<small>The Elegant Elephant of Oz</small></h2> - - -<p>Fortunately the doors of Randy's castle were high and wide, and the -rooms so large and spacious, even a guest as large as this elephant -could quite easily be accommodated. Still irritated by the Gatekeeper's -insolence, Kabumpo followed the young ruler to the throne room where he -sank stiffly to his haunches and waited in outraged silence for Randy -to speak. Randy, however, was so surprised and happy to see his old -friend and comrade, he could not utter a word. But the Elegant Elephant -could not long withstand the honest delight and affection beaming from -the young King's eyes, and under that kindly glow his wrath melted away -like fog in the sunshine.</p> - -<p>"Well! Well!" he rumbled testily, "how do I look?"</p> - -<p>"Elegant!" breathed Randy, stepping back to have a better view. -"Elegant as ever. You've worn your best robe and jewels, haven't you?"</p> - -<p>"Always wear my best when I call on a King," said Kabumpo, smoothing -down his embroidered collar complacently with his trunk.</p> - -<p>"And I believe you've grown a foot," went on Randy, standing on tiptoe -to pat Kabumpo on the shoulder.</p> - -<p>"A foot," roared the Elegant Elephant, throwing back his head. "Oh, -come now, I couldn't have grown a foot without noticing it, and I still -have but four—here, count 'em! Say, who in hay bales gave you that -black eye?"</p> - -<p>"YOU did." Randy fairly sputtered with mirth at Kabumpo's discomfited -expression. "I was just wishing someone would hit me in the nose, when -along came that rock and NOW look at me!"</p> - -<p>"Yes," put in Uncle Hoochafoo, regarding Kabumpo severely through his -monocle. "Now look at him!"</p> - -<p>"Well, why didn't you tell that wart of a doorkeeper I was expected?" -demanded Kabumpo explosively.</p> - -<p>"The King of Regalia does not hold conversation with his doorkeeper," -explained Randy's uncle, giving the Elegant Elephant a very sour look.</p> - -<p>"Oh, he doesn't!" Kabumpo lurched grandly to his feet. "Well, it's time -somebody told him about the Elegant Elephant of Oz and how he should be -received and welcomed. Let me tell you, sirrah—trumpets blow when I -come and go in Pumperdink!"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus11.jpg" width="500" height="295" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Then why did you ever leave there?" inquired the Duke coldly.</p> - -<p>"Oh, Uncle, don't you remember, we were to review the Purple Guard at -five? YOU go," urged Randy, fearful lest the tempery old Duke would -still further insult the even more tempery old elephant. "Honestly, I -feel a cold coming on." Randy coughed plaintively, at the same time -winking at Kabumpo.</p> - -<p>"Very well, I'll go," agreed his uncle stiffly. "But do not forget -there is a dinner for the Grape Growers at seven, a concert of the -Goat Herdsmen at eight, maneuvers of our Highland Guards in the Royal -Barracks at nine and—"</p> - -<p>"Yes, yes! All right!" Randy fairly pushed his royal relative toward -the door.</p> - -<p>"An ancient pest if I ever saw one," grumbled Kabumpo as the Grand Duke -disappeared with a very grim expression. "Great gooselberries! Do we -have to do all those dumb things? Why, it's six years since I've seen -you, Randy, and I kinda thought we'd have a cozy time all to ourselves."</p> - -<p>"I never have any time to myself," sighed the young monarch wistfully. -"I do nothing but lay cornerstones and raise flags and stand around at -Royal Courts and Receptions. Everybody bows and bows. Why, it's got so -I even bow to myself when I look in the glass, and NOW—" Randy raised -his arms indignantly. "Now Uncle Hoochafoo says I must marry."</p> - -<p>"Marry!" trumpeted Kabumpo, twinkling his eyes angrily. "What nonsense! -Why, you are nowhere near old enough to marry. You were only about ten -when I met you and that makes you sixteen now, though I must say you -don't look it!"</p> - -<p>"Oh, no one in Oz looks his age," grinned Randy, "and you know I'd been -ten for about four years before I knew you, Kabumpo, so that makes me -twenty or so, doesn't it?"</p> - -<p>"I don't care what it makes you," rumbled Kabumpo, "it makes me mad. -And to think I actually helped get you into all this boring business. -My ears and trunk, Kingling, it's up to me to get you out of it."</p> - -<p>"How?" demanded Randy, folding his arms and leaning despondently -against the mantel. "How does one stop being a King, Kabumpo?"</p> - -<p>"Why, by stopping," announced the Elegant Elephant, spreading his ears -to their fullest extent. "By taking a vacation, my fine young sprig. By -departing and going hence for a suitable season. Do you suppose I came -all the way from Pumperdink to hear Goatherds tootling on bells and -Highlanders tramping round a barracks? I came to see you, my boy, and -nobody else." Kabumpo paused to blow his trunk explosively on a violet -silk handkerchief. "And after that I thought we'd go and visit the Red -Jinn."</p> - -<p>"Oh, Kabumpo, could we?" Randy's face brightened and then as quickly -fell. "I don't believe Uncle Hoochafoo will let me go," he finished -dolefully.</p> - -<p>"A King does not ask whether or not he may go, he GOES," stated the -Elegant Elephant, beginning to sway like a ship under full sail. "But -to avoid all arguments we'll not start till later. Could you be ready -by midnight, young one?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, I'm ready now," declared Randy, picking up his cloak from the -floor and snatching a sword from its bracket on the wall. "Why ever did -you wait so long, Kabumpo? You promised to visit me six months after I -was crowned."</p> - -<p>"Well, you know how it is at a court." The Elegant Elephant sighed -and settled back on his haunches again. "If it isn't one thing -it's another, but here I am at last. So—order up your dinner and -a few bales of hay and a barrel of cider for me. I crave rest and -refreshment."</p> - -<p>"And what about the Grape Growers, the Goatherds and Highlanders?" -worried Randy.</p> - -<p>"Oh, them!" exclaimed Kabumpo inelegantly. "Here!" Seizing a pen from -the royal desk, he scribbled a defiant message on a handy piece of -parchment.</p> - -<p>"No admittance under extreme penalty of the Law. Do not disturb! By -special order of His Majesty, King Randywell Handywell of Brandenburg -and Bompadoo."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus12.jpg" width="500" height="319" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"See, I remembered all your names, and I've used them all!" Opening -the door with his trunk, Kabumpo impaled the notice on the knob, then -quietly closed the door and turned the key in the lock. And only -once did they open it, and then to admit ten flustered footmen with -Randy's dinner and Kabumpo's cider and hay. To imperious raps, taps -and numerous notes thrust under the door by the young King's agitated -uncle, they paid no attention whatever. They were too busy talking over -old times and the exciting days when they had journeyed all over Oz, -and with the help of Jinnicky, the little Red Jinn, saved the Royal -Family of Pumperdink from the Witch of Follensby Forest.</p> - -<p>Pumperdink, as most of you know, is in the north central part of the -Gilliken Country of Oz, and ruled by King Pompus and Queen Posy. -Their son, Prince Pompadore, has much to say about affairs in that -Kingdom, but it is to Kabumpo, his Elegant Elephant, that Pompus turned -oftenest for counsel and comfort. Given to the King by a celebrated -Blue Emperor, Kabumpo has proved himself so wise and sagacious, Pompus -depends on him for almost everything. It is Kabumpo who advises His -Majesty when to have his hair cut and put aside his woolen underwear, -when to go to the dentist, when to turn in his old four-horse chariot -for a twelve-horse model, when to save money—when to spend it, how -to get on with neighboring Kings and how to get on without them. In -fact, so heavy are the duties and responsibilities of this remarkable -elephant, 'tis a wonder, even after six years, he managed this visit to -Randy.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus13.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>Randy's first meeting with Kabumpo had been more or less by chance. -Sent out disguised as a poor mountain boy to pass the seven severe -tests of Kingship required of Regalian Rulers, Randy had happened to -come first to the Kingdom of Pumperdink and had been hailed before the -King as a vagrant. The Elegant Elephant, taking an instant fancy to -the boy, had insisted that he be allowed to stay on as his own royal -attendant, and in this comical capacity Randy's adventures had begun. -For scarcely had he been in the palace of Pumperdink a week, before -Kettywig, the King's brother, and the Witch of Follensby Forest, -plotting to steal the crown, caused the whole royal family to disappear -by some strange and fiery magic. Barely missing the same fate, Randy -and Kabumpo managed to escape. On their way through the forest they -met a Soothsayer who told them to seek out the Red Jinn. Now no one in -Oz had ever heard of this singular personage, but after many delays -and hair-raising experiences, Randy and Kabumpo finally arrived at his -splendid red glass castle. Jinnicky, it turned out, was the Wizard of -Ev, and a merry and strange person he was. Jinnicky's whole body is -encased in a shiny red jar into which he can retire like a turtle at -will, and the little Wizard's disposition is so gay and jolly everyone -around him feels the same way. Not only did he welcome his visitors, -but set off immediately to help the Royal Family of Pumperdink out of -their misfortunes and enchantment. Once in Pumperdink, Randy, with the -help of the Red Jinn's magic looking-glasses, was able to trace the -lost King and his family and release them from the witch's spell. But -before that, and while he was traveling here and there with Kabumpo and -Jinnicky, the little Prince was fulfilling all the tests and conditions -required by the ancient laws of Regalia of their Kings. In other words, -he had made three true friends, served a strange King, saved a Queen, -showed bravery in battle, overcome a fabulous monster, disenchanted -a Princess, and received from a Wizard an important magic treasure. -And now, looking back on those brave, bright days, he could not help -thinking that earning his crown had been more fun than wearing it.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus14.jpg" width="419" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"I wish we could do it all over again," he mused, as Kabumpo, after -recalling their visit to Nandywog, the little giant, tossed off the -last of the cider.</p> - -<p>"But think where we're going now," gurgled Kabumpo, setting down the -barrel with a resounding thud. "If something strange or exciting does -not happen on the way there or back, or in Jinnicky's castle itself, -I do not know my Oz and Evistery. Can't you just see Jinnicky's face -when we arrive? I wonder if Alibabble is still Grand Advizier and if -the magic dinner bell is still working. Yes! Yes? Who's there?" Kabumpo -raised his voice irritably as a persistent whistling came through the -keyhole.</p> - -<p>"It's Dawkins," explained an anxious voice from the other side of the -door. "The Duke says as it's high time His Highness was in bed, Your -Highness!"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus15.jpg" width="500" height="302" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Oh, be off with you. Go dive in the feathers yourself. His Highness is -going to sleep in here on the floor." Kabumpo stood so close and spoke -so violently through the keyhole, Dawkins was blown back against the -opposite wall. For a time footsteps pattered up and down the corridor, -then finally deciding the young King was to have his own way at last, -the footmen and courtiers and even Uncle Hoochafoo took themselves off. -But not till everything was absolutely quiet and still and everyone in -the castle asleep did Kabumpo and Randy venture forth. Then, stepping -softly as his own tremendous shadow, the Elegant Elephant with the -young King on his back slipped through the silent halls and deserted -courtyard, past the snoring sentries and keeper of the gate and on out -into the foresty Highlands beyond the palace wall. Here in the bright -white light of a smiling moon they took the highway to the north, for -the castle of the Red Jinn lies to the north by northeast of Regalia -and Oz.</p> - -<p>"How'll we cross the Deadly Desert?" murmured Randy, drowsily clutching -the few belongings he had tied up in an old silver table-cloth. In it -he had his oldest suit, some clean underwear, his tooth brush and his -trusty sword.</p> - -<p>"Never cross a desert till you come to it," advised Kabumpo. "And we've -crossed it before, you know."</p> - -<p>"Yes, I know." Smiling to himself, Randy dropped his head on his -bundle, and lulled by the agreeable motion of his gigantic bearer, soon -fell asleep, to dream pleasantly of Alibabble and of Ginger, slave of -the Red Jinn's dinner bell.</p> - - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_3" id="CHAPTER_3"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus16.jpg" width="500" height="342" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 3<br /> - -<small>Gaper's Gulch</small></h2> - - -<p>Kabumpo, as happy to escape from Court life as Randy, moved -rhythmically as a ship through the soft spring night. Humming to -himself and busy with his own thoughts, he scarcely noticed that the -highway was growing steeper and narrower until he was brought up sharp -by an impassable barrier of rock.</p> - -<p>"Now, Bosh and Botherskites! I was sure this road ran straight to the -Deadly Desert," he muttered, reaching back with his trunk to see that -Randy was still safely aboard and asleep. "Beets and butternuts! Do -I have to turn back, or plough through all this rubble?" The Elegant -Elephant's small eyes twinkled with irritation, and easing himself -to the right off the highway, he peered crossly up at the offending -mass of stone. Finding no way round here, he swung over to the left -and examined it closely from that side, and was just about to start -resignedly through the brush when he discovered that what he had -taken for an especially dark shadow was really a cleft in the rock. -It was barely wide enough for him to squeeze through without scraping -the jewels from his robe. "Now then, shall I risk it or wait till -morning?" mused Kabumpo, swaying undecidedly to and fro. "It might take -us straight through to the other side of the highway. On the other -trunk, it might lead into a robber's cave or plunge us suddenly over a -precipice!"</p> - -<p>Edging closer, the Elegant Elephant thrust his trunk into the crevice. -It seemed smooth and solid, and, resolved to try it even though little -of the moonlight penetrated into the narrow opening, Kabumpo stepped -inside and proceeded to pick his way cautiously along the rocky -corridor. For about the length of a city street it ran straight ahead, -then curved sharply to the right. Here Kabumpo was heartened to see -a lantern hanging from an iron spike, while carved on the smooth rock -below was a blunt message.</p> - -<p>"This is the entrance to Gaper's Gulch. Pause here and give three yawns -and a stretch for Sleeperoo, Great, Grand and Most Snorious Gaper!"</p> - -<p>"Snorious Gaper! Ho, Ho! kerumph! Who ever heard of such nonsense?" -snorted Kabumpo, squinting impatiently down at the notice. "Ah, Hah! -HOH, HUM!" At this point, and without seeming able to help it, the -Elegant Elephant yawned so terrifically his head-piece fell over one -ear, and his jaw was almost dislocated. To recover his dignity and -with tears starting from his eyes, he gave himself a quick shake, then -stretched up his trunk to straighten his headgear.</p> - -<p>"Splen—did!" drawled a sleepy voice. "You may now proceed as before." -Blinking angrily about to see who had addressed him, the Elegant -Elephant spied a round-faced and widely gaping guard standing in a -little niche in the rock. Strapped to his shoulders, instead of a -knapsack, was a fat feather pillow, and as Kabumpo came opposite the -guard's eyes closed, and falling back against his cushion he began -gently to snore. As Kabumpo stopped in some astonishment, the guard's -nap was rudely interrupted by a pailful of pebbles that cascaded -merrily down over his ears. There were twenty pails operating on a -moving belt above his head and at three-minute intervals they pelted -him awake, as Kabumpo presently discovered. The buttons on the guard's -uniform were illuminated and spelled out his name, "WINKS."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus17.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt=""/> -</div> - - -<p>"Well, do I surprise you?" inquired Winks, shaking the pebbles from his -shoulders and rubbing his eyes with his yellow-gloved hands. Kabumpo, -too amused to speak, nodded.</p> - -<p>"And you surprise me," admitted the guard, gaping three times just to -prove it, "you big, enormous, impossible whatever you are—you! Why, -you should have been underground months ago! But that'll all be taken -care of," he added smoothly. "Just follow the arrows and you cannot -miss—just follow the arrows—just fol—"</p> - -<p>As Kabumpo, fuming from what he considered a mortal insult, lunged -forward, the little soldier's eyes fell shut again. Held more by -curiosity than by a desire to continue the conversation, Kabumpo waited -for the next bucket of pebbles to shower over the guard.</p> - -<p>"'Low the arrows," went on Winks as calmly as if he had not been -interrupted at all. "There are forty guards to point the way. Forty -Winks," he repeated, closing one eye. "Ha, Ha! To point the way. Ha, -Ha! HOH, HUM! Do you get the point?"</p> - -<p>As Kabumpo started off with a little snort of disgust, he felt a slight -prick in his left hind leg, for Winks, just as he feel asleep, let fly -an arrow from his old-fashioned bow. Before Kabumpo had reached the -end of the passageway he had passed forty of the Gaper Guards. After -his experience with the first, he did not stop for further talk, but -made the best speed possible, resolved to rush through Gaper's Gulch -when he came to it without even pausing to express his contempt. The -pebble awakeners were so neatly timed, each guard had a chance to speed -an arrow after the flying elephant, and by the time Kabumpo reached -the opening at the other end of the rocky pass, he had forty arrows -pricking through his robe or stuck here and there in his ears and -ankles. With his tough hide, they hurt no more than pin pricks, but -vastly indignant at such treatment, the Elegant Elephant began jerking -them out with his trunk.</p> - -<p>"What do they think I am, a pincushion? Hoh!" he snorted, pulling out -the last one, and relieved to note that Randy had escaped the missiles -entirely. Indeed, the young King of Regalia was sleeping as placidly -as if he were home in his own castle. Kabumpo, too, felt unaccountably -drowsy, and as he pushed his way down into the rocky little glen his -steps grew slower and slower. So far as he could see by the light of -the fast waning moon, there were neither houses nor people in Gaper's -Gulch. In the center of the valley the rough stones and brush had been -cleared away and a series of flat rocks were spaced out almost like -a gigantic checker-board. Pausing beside the largest rock, Kabumpo -spelled out the name of Sleeperoo the Great and Snorious.</p> - -<p>"What is this, a cemetery?" gulped the Elegant Elephant. "But that -could not be, for no one in Oz ever dies. Ho, Hum!"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus18.jpg" width="500" height="260" alt=""/> -</div> - - -<p>Leaning up against a dead pine and blinking furiously to keep awake, -he pondered the unpleasant situation. Then, deciding that, cemetery -or not, he must have some sleep, he lifted Randy down from his back -and rolled him in a blanket he had thoughtfully brought along. Then, -divesting himself of his jeweled robe and head-piece, Kabumpo stretched -out carefully beside his young comrade and in twenty minutes was fast -asleep.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus19.jpg" width="468" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - - -<p>How long he slumbered Kabumpo never knew, but from a nightmare in which -he was struggling in a bank of treacherous quicksand, he awoke with a -frightful sinking feeling to find he was surrounded by forty more of -the Gaper Guards. Their buttons were also lit up and on each plump -chest he could read the word "Wake." The Wakes were busily at work -with pick and spade, and, unlike the Winks, did not seem the least bit -drowsy. Half convinced he was still asleep and dreaming, Kabumpo peered -out at them through half-closed lids, then gave a tremendous grunt. -Great Gillikens! He was sinking! The busy little Wakes had dug a trench -at least twenty feet deep all around him and now, careless of their -own safety, were shoveling away at the mound on which he was still -precariously resting.</p> - -<p>"Quick, a few more to the right," directed a crisp little voice. "Watch -yourself there, Torpy. Ah, here he comes! Heads up, lads!"</p> - -<p>As the Chief Wake spoke, Kabumpo felt the mound give way and down he -rolled into the pit, while the Wakes scrambled frantically up the sides.</p> - -<p>"Did you hear that fierce TOOT?" puffed the little Guard addressed -as Torpy. "It's awake, fellows! What's wrong with those sleeping -arrows—don't they work any more? I myself saw forty sticking in the -big Whatisit when he came pounding out of the pass. Hurry, hurry! let's -get him under ground!" And, seizing their picks and spades again, the -Gaper Guards began shoveling dirt into the pit, paying no attention -to Kabumpo's furious blasts and bellows, which grew wilder and more -anguished as he suddenly realized that Randy was no longer beside him.</p> - -<p>"What have you done with the boy? Halt! Stop! How dare you cast dirt on -an Imperial Prince of Pumperdink or try to bury the Elegant Elephant of -Oz?"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus20.jpg" width="500" height="336" alt=""/> -</div> - - -<p>Shaking the mud from his head and raising his trunk, Kabumpo let out -such an ear-splitting trumpet, twenty Wakes fell to their knees, and -the others dropped pick and shovel and stared at him in positive dismay.</p> - -<p>"But, sir, it is quite customary to bury all visitors," quavered Torpy -as soon as he could make himself heard. "We'll dig you up in six months -and you'll be good as new. Our dormitories are so very comfortable, -and all Gapers lie dormant for six months!"</p> - -<p>"But I'm not a GAPER," screamed Kabumpo, interrupting himself with a -yawn both wide and gusty.</p> - -<p>"Oh, but you soon will be," asserted Torpy, squinting down at him -earnestly. "Why, you're gaping already. Now lie down like a good beast. -Sleeping underground is lovely."</p> - -<p>"LOVELY!" repeated all the rest of the Wakes, beginning to croon as -they shoveled. Kabumpo, opening his mouth to protest again, caught a -bushel of earth between his tusks and, half choked and blind with rage, -the Elegant Elephant hurled himself at the side of the pit. He could -almost reach the top with his trunk and, as the Wakes squealing with -alarm shoveled faster and faster, he wound his trunk round an old tree -stump and by main strength hauled himself up over the edge.</p> - -<p>"NOW!" he bellowed, spreading his ears like sails. "Where have you -buried the boy? Quick, speak up or I'll pound you to splinters."</p> - -<p>Snatching a log in his trunk, Kabumpo surged forward. But the terrified -Wakes, instead of answering, fled for their lives, leaving Kabumpo all -alone in the ghostly little valley.</p> - -<p>"Randy! Randy, where are you? Oh, my poor boy, are you suffocated?"</p> - -<p>Galloping this way and that, Kabumpo peered desperately about for a -patch of newly turned earth. But only the wind whistling drearily -through the dead branches of the pine trees came to answer him. Frantic -with worry, the Elegant Elephant began pounding with his log on the -headstones of the dormant Gapers, trumpeting at the same time in a way -to wake the dead.</p> - - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_4" id="CHAPTER_4"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus21.jpg" width="500" height="299" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 4<br /> - -<small>Out of Gaper's Gulch</small></h2> - - -<p>Now the Gapers were not dead, but only sleeping, and soon the dormant -natives of this strange Hibernation lifted up their headstones and -began blinking out indignantly to see what and who had got loose in -their quiet valley.</p> - -<p>"Silence! Cease! Desist!" shuddered Sleeperoo the Great and Snorious, -holding up his headstone with one hand and waving his other arm feebly -at Kabumpo. "A bit more of that racket and we'll be roused for months. -Who are you? And what is the meaning of all this Hah Hoh Humbuggery?"</p> - -<p>Gaping ten times in quick succession, Sleeperoo stuck out his lip at -the Elegant Elephant. Kabumpo, startled by the spectacle of a hundred -lifted headstones and the round dirty moonlike faces gaping up at him, -said nothing for a whole minute. Then, stepping over to the Chief -Gaper, he burst out angrily:</p> - -<p>"I am a traveler whom your guards stuck full of arrows and then tried -to bury. The young King who was with me has disappeared. I, the Elegant -Elephant of Oz and Pumperdink, DEMAND his release. What have you done -with the King of Regalia? Produce him at once, or I'll stand here and -trumpet till doomsday!"</p> - -<p>To show he meant what he said, Kabumpo let out such a terrific blast -the headstones of his listeners rocked and shivered.</p> - -<p>"Oh, my head! My ears! My ears, my dears! Give him what he's yelling -for," sobbed Sleeperoo, crouching under his headstone as Kabumpo lifted -his trunk for another trumpet.</p> - -<p>"Is this—a—king?" called a fretful voice, and, lurching round, -Kabumpo saw a fat old Gaper now half-way above ground. Balancing his -stone on his fat head, he held Randy out at arm's length. "Instead of -digging him a proper bed, they stuck him in with me," he complained. -"Here, take him—he kicks like a mule and I can't abide a kicker." -With a relieved grunt, Kabumpo snatched Randy from the Gaper's damp -clutches, thankful the boy still had strength enough to kick. Randy's -face was quite pale and covered with dirt, but after a few anxious -shakes he opened his eyes and looked confusedly round him.</p> - -<p>"It's nothing," sniffed Kabumpo. "It's quite all right, my boy. You've -just been buried to the ears and sleeping with a ground-hog."</p> - -<p>"Buried?" shivered Randy, as Kabumpo set him gently on his back.</p> - -<p>"Not buried at all, just lying dormant as a sensible body should," -corrected the old Gaper, dropping out of sight with a slam of his -headstone.</p> - -<p>"Go away! Please go away!" begged Sleeperoo, as Kabumpo began stepping -gingerly between the stones. "You're ruining our rest, you big bullying -Behemoth!"</p> - -<p>"I'll not stir a step till you send a guide to lead me out of this -gulch," declared Kabumpo. "Call a guard or I'll call one myself."</p> - -<p>"No. No! Please NOT! Torpy Snorpy—I say, Torpy," wheezed Sleeperoo, -stretching up his thin neck. "Come, come all of you at once. At ONCE!"</p> - -<p>As quickly as they had vanished, the Wakes slid from behind boulders -and trees and up out of rocky crevices, their buttons twinkling -cheerfully in the dark.</p> - -<p>"Conduct these travelers to the head of the valley," ordered Sleeperoo, -with a weak wave at the Gaper Guards.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus22.jpg" width="500" height="306" alt=""/> -</div> - - -<p>"I thought this was a gulch," yawned Kabumpo, while Randy began to -shake the dirt from his hair and ears.</p> - -<p>"A gulch is a valley," sniffed Sleeperoo, lowering himself crossly. -"Look it up in any pictionary. A gulch is a valley or chasm."</p> - -<p>"And Gaper's Gulch is a yawning chasm," mumbled Kabumpo, as the Chief -Gaper and all the others began ducking back into their holes like -rabbits into warrens. "Good night to you," he added, as the last stone -slammed down. "Now, then, you boys fetch my head-piece and robe from -that pit and let's start on."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus23.jpg" width="427" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - - -<p>Kabumpo spoke so sharply ten Wakes sprang to obey, and after they -had brought them and both had been adjusted to Kabumpo's liking, he -signaled imperiously for Torpy and Snorpy to lead the way, and their -companions took thankfully to their heels. For a while the two little -Wakes marched ahead in a subdued silence as the Elegant Elephant picked -his way around rocks and tree stumps.</p> - -<p>"Not mad, I hope?" Torpy, most talkative of the two, looked anxiously -over his shoulder.</p> - -<p>"No, no—certainly not. I don't know when I've spent a more delightful -evening," Kabumpo said. "Being stuck full of arrows and then buried -alive is such splendid entertainment."</p> - -<p>"Oh, I say now, we cannot all be alike," put in Snorpy, coming to the -rescue of his embarrassed companion. "If those arrows had taken effect, -you'd have been dead asleep before we buried you, and known nothing for -six months. That's a lot of sleep to miss, Mister—er—Mister?"</p> - -<p>"Kabumpo," chuckled Randy, who was now wide awake and quite recovered -from his harrowing experience. "But you see, Kabumpo and I sleep every -night and not all in one stretch as you do."</p> - -<p>"More trouble that way," murmured Snorpy, shaking his head -disapprovingly. "Keeps you hopping up and down all the time. In the -Gulch we sleep half the year and then we are done with it."</p> - -<p>"And what do you do when you are not sleeping?" inquired Kabumpo, -stifling a yawn with his trunk.</p> - -<p>"We eat," grinned Snorpy, his eyes twinkling brighter than his buttons. -"Breakfast from July first to August thirty-first; lunch from September -first till October thirty-first; and dinner from November first till -New Year's."</p> - -<p>"You mean you eat straight through without stopping?" gasped Randy, -raising himself on one elbow. "All the time you're awake? Don't you -ever work, play or go on journeys?"</p> - -<p>"I do not know what you mean by 'work, play and going on journeys,' -but whatever they are, we don't. We eat and sleep, sleep and eat and -everything is perfectly gorgeous," confided the Wake with a satisfied -skip.</p> - -<p>"Gorging is gorgeous to some people, I suppose." Kabumpo tossed his -head to show it was not his way. "Then how is it you fellows are not -sleeping along with the other Gapers?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, we're trained to sleep in summer and fall and to eat in winter and -spring. The Winks are not so clever at staying awake as we are, but -they'll learn, and meanwhile the pebbles keep them fairly active."</p> - -<p>"Yes, active enough to shoot at visitors," grunted Kabumpo, winking -back at Randy. "Do you shoot one another asleep or is that a special -treat you reserve for travelers?"</p> - -<p>"We just shoot at travelers," admitted Snorpy, quite cheerfully. -"Otherwise they would interfere with our customs, interrupt our -sleeping and eating and wake us up out of season."</p> - -<p>"Just as we did," chuckled Randy. "I suppose we interrupted your -dinner, this being one of the dinner months?" Both Guards nodded, -exchanging pleased little smiles.</p> - -<p>"Come on back and have a bite with us," invited Snorpy generously. -"We've weak fish for the first week, chops for the second—"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus24.jpg" width="500" height="272" alt=""/> -</div> - - -<p>Randy, tugging at Kabumpo's collar, begged him to stop, for Randy was -hungry as a brace of bears, but the Elegant Elephant, shaking his -head till all his jewels rattled, declined the invitation with great -firmness.</p> - -<p>"No knowing what will come of it," he whispered to his disappointed -young comrade. "Might put us to sleep for a century and it's about all -I can do to keep my eyes open now. Wait till we're out of this goopy -gulch, my lad, and we'll eat and sleep like gentlemen. After all, we -are gentlemen and not ground-hogs."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus25.jpg" width="360" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - - -<p>Urging his guides to greater speed, the weary beast pushed doggedly -on through the brush and stubble. Snorpy and Torpy, insulted by the -shortness with which the Elegant Elephant had refused their invitation, -had little more to say, and in less than an hour had brought the -travelers to the end of the rocky little valley. From where they stood, -a crooked path wound crazily upward, and with a silent wave aloft the -two Wakes turned and ran.</p> - -<p>"Back to their dinner," sighed Randy, looking hungrily after them. -But Kabumpo, charmed to see the last of the ghostly gulch and its -inhabitants, began to ascend the path, not even stopping for breath -till he had come to the top. Even after this, he traveled on for about -five miles to make sure no sleepy vapors or Gapers would trouble them -again. The moon had waned and the stars grown faint as he stopped -at last in a small patch of woodland. Here, without removing his -head-piece or robe, Kabumpo braced his back against a mighty oak -and fell asleep on his feet, and Randy, soothed and rocked by his -tremendous snores, soon closed his eyes and slept also.</p> - - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_5" id="CHAPTER_5"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus26.jpg" width="500" height="325" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 5<br /> - -<small>Headway</small></h2> - - -<p>When Randy wakened, Kabumpo had already started on, grumbling under -his breath, because nowhere in sight was there a green bush, a tree or -anything at all that an elephant or little boy might eat.</p> - -<p>"Where are we?" yawned Randy, sitting up and rubbing his eyes with his -knuckles. "Great Gillikens, this is as bad as Gaper's Gulch!"</p> - -<p>"All the countries bordering on the Deadly Desert are queer no-count -little places," sniffed the Elegant Elephant, angrily jerking his robe -off a cactus. "And from the feel of the air, we must be near the -desert now."</p> - -<p>At mention of the Deadly Desert, Randy lapsed into an uneasy silence, -for how could they ever cross this tract of burning sand, and how could -they reach Ev or Jinnicky's castles unless they did cross it? While -this vast belt of destroying sand effectively kept enemies out of Oz, -it also kept the Ozians in.</p> - -<p>"If we only had some of Jinnicky's magic or even his silver dinner bell -to bring us a good breakfast!" sighed Randy, glancing round hungrily. -"Pretty stupid of me not to have brought along a lunch, and there's not -even a brook or stream in this miserable little patch of woods where a -body could quench his thirst. Maybe it will rain, and that would help a -little."</p> - -<p>"Maybe," admitted Kabumpo, squinting up at the leaden sky. "Anyway, -here we are out of the woods, but take a look at those rocks!"</p> - -<p>"And those heads behind the rocks," whispered Randy, clutching -Kabumpo's collar.</p> - -<p>"There's something pretty odd about those heads, if you ask me," -wheezed the Elegant Elephant, curling up his trunk. "Odd or I'm losing -my eye and ear sight."</p> - -<p>"Odd!" hissed Randy, tightening his hold on Kabumpo's collar. "Good -goats and gravy! They're flying round loose like birds. Why, they've -got no bodies on 'em, no bodies at all!"</p> - -<p>"Read the sign," directed Kabumpo, uncurling his trunk and pointing -to a crude warning scratched on a flat slab at the edge of the road -leading to the rocky promontory above.</p> - -<p>"Heads up! This road leads to Headland, nobody's allowed."</p> - -<p>"Humph! Well, we won't make much headway without our bodies," grunted -Kabumpo, as Randy read the message slowly to himself. "Such impudence! -Why should we pay any attention to such stuff? Bodies or not, we're -going on, and how can fellows minus feet and arms hope to stop us?"</p> - -<p>"They might crash down on us with their heads," worried Randy, as an -angry flock of Headmen circled round and round at the top of the road, -"and those heads look hard."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus27.jpg" width="262" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Not any harder than mine. Keep your crown on, Randy," advised Kabumpo -grimly, "the spikes will dent 'em good, and if you reach down in my -left-hand pocket you'll find a short club. The club will be better than -your sword; you can't cut a head off no neck and besides we don't -really want to injure the pests. All ready? Then here we go!"</p> - -<p>Randy did not answer, for hooking his heels through Kabumpo's harness, -he was already delving into the capacious pocket on the left side of -the Elegant Elephant's robe, discovering not only a club, but a quiver -full of darts. Jerking himself upright, the club in one hand, the darts -in the other, he peered aloft with growing anxiety as foot over foot -Kabumpo climbed up the granite slope. The faces of the Headmen were -round and deeply wrinkled from the hot winds blowing off the desert; -their ears, huge and fan-shaped, flapped like wings, and like wings -propelled them through the air. Before Kabumpo reached the top, a whole -bevy came whizzing toward them, screaming out indignant threats and -warnings.</p> - -<p>"Off, be off!" they shouted hysterically. "Off with their arms, off -with their legs, off with their bodies! Halt! Stop! Begone, you -miserable creepy crawly creatures. You dare not set a foot on our -beautiful Headland."</p> - -<p>"Oh, daren't we?" Kabumpo shook his trunk belligerently. "And who is to -stop us, pray?"</p> - -<p>"I am," rasped the ugliest of the Headmen. Snatching a coil of wire -from a niche in the rocks with his teeth, the ugly little Mugly came -flapping toward them. Another of the Headmen hastened to seize the -opposite end of the wire in his teeth and, stretching it between them, -they came rushing on.</p> - -<p>"Watch out!" warned Randy, dropping flat between Kabumpo's ears. -"They're going to trip you up."</p> - -<p>"Wrong, how wrong," chattered all the Headmen, bobbing up and down like -balloons let off their strings. "They're going to cut off his body," -confided one of the long-nosed tribesmen, zooming down to whisper this -information in Randy's ear. "The creature's head is welcome enough -and with those enormous ears he'll have no trouble flying, but his -body—oh, his body is awful and must stay behind. And your body, too, -you little monster, we'll cut that off too," promised the Headman -in his oily voice. "What use is a body, anyway? I see you have very -small ears, but they can be stretched. And just wait till you've been -debodicated, you'll feel so right and light and flighty."</p> - -<p>"Help! Stop! Help! Help!" screamed Randy, as the ugly Mugly gave him a -playful nip on the ear. "Back up, Kabumpo, back down. They're going to -catch you in that wire and choke you."</p> - -<p>"Pah! nonsense," panted the Elegant Elephant. And heaving himself up -over the last barrier, he stepped confidently out on the rocky plateau.</p> - -<p>"Heads up! Heads up!" shrilled the Headmen, while the two with the -wire, deftly encircling Kabumpo's great neck, began to fly apart in -order to draw the noose tighter. Kabumpo ducked, but much too late, -and though his ferocious trumpeting sent swarms of Headmen fluttering -aloft, the two holding the wire stuck to their task, pulling and -jerking with all their teeth till Kabumpo's jeweled collar was pressing -uncomfortably into his throat.</p> - -<p>"Don't worry," he grunted gamely, "their teeth will give way before my -neck does. Calm yourself, my boy, ca—alm your—self."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus28.jpg" width="276" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>But how could Randy feel calm with his best friend in such a -predicament and already beginning to gasp for breath? Jumping up and -down on Kabumpo's back, he rattled his club valiantly, but the Headmen -were too high up for him to reach, and when at last he flung the -club with all his strength at the one on the left, it seemed to make -no impression at all on the hard head of the enemy. Redoubling his -efforts, he drew the wire tighter and tighter in his yellow teeth. In -desperation, Randy suddenly remembered the darts, and drawing one -from the quiver, sent it speeding upward. The first missed, but as the -Elegant Elephant began to sway and quiver beneath him, the second found -its mark, striking the Headman squarely in the middle of the forehead. -An expression of surprise and dismay overspread his wrinkled features, -and next instant, with a terrific yawn, he dropped the wire and fell -headlong to the rocks, where he rolled over and over and over.</p> - -<p>"Great Goopers!" exclaimed Randy, hardly able to believe his luck. -"Why, he's not hurt at all, but has fallen asleep."</p> - -<p>"Watch the others, the—others!" gulped Kabumpo, shaking his head -in an effort to free it from the wire. Already another had flown to -take his fallen comrade's place, but before he could snatch the wire, -Randy brought him to earth with one of his sharply pointed darts. The -next who ventured he shot down too, and as the rest of the band came -swarming down to see what was happening, Randy sent arrow after arrow -winging into their midst till the flat, smooth rock was dotted with -sleepy heads, for each one hit promptly fell asleep. Though his arm -ached and his heart thumped uncomfortably, Randy did not even pause -for breath till he had sent the last arrow into the air, and then quite -suddenly he realized he had won this strange and ridiculous battle. -More than half of the ear-men, as he could not help calling them to -himself, lay snoring on the ground; the rest with terrified shrieks and -whistles were flapping off as fast as their ears would carry them. Now -entirely free of the wire, but still trembling and gasping, Kabumpo -stared angrily after them.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus29.jpg" width="500" height="303" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"What I cannot understand," puffed Randy, sliding to the ground to -examine a group of the enemy, "is what put them to sleep? I thought -your darts might hurt or head them off or puncture them like balloons, -but instead—here they are asleep, and How asleep! Shall I pull out -the arrows? I might need them later."</p> - -<p>"They're not MY arrows," Kabumpo said, wrinkling his forehead in -a puzzled frown. "I didn't have any arrows, but Ha, Ha, Kerumph!" -The Elegant Elephant began to shake all over. "They must be Gaper -Arrows—the Wakes must have stuck them in my pocket when they fetched -my robe and head-piece. Pretty cute of the little rascals, at that. -Why, these must be the same arrows the Winks shot at me, Randy, but my -hide was too tough for them and they didn't work."</p> - -<p>"Well, they certainly made short work of the Headmen," said Randy, -turning one over gently with his foot. "Goodness! I thought you'd be -choked and done for, old fellow!"</p> - -<p>"Who, ME? Nonsense! My neck would have broken their teeth in another -minute or two."</p> - -<p>"Well, then, shall I pull out the arrows?" asked Randy, who had his own -opinion about Kabumpo's narrow escape. "We could use them again some -time."</p> - -<p>"No, NO! Leave them in! So long as those arrows stick fast the little -villains will sleep fast and that's the only way I can stand 'em."</p> - -<p>"But suppose the others fly back?" Randy still hesitated.</p> - -<p>"Pooh! Don't you worry about that." Kabumpo raised his trunk -scornfully. "They're frightened out of their wits and probably half way -to the Sapphire City by this time. And when they do come back, we won't -be here."</p> - -<p>"Won't we?" Dubiously Randy began to pace across the bare and arid -plateau. "I certainly don't think much of Headland, do you?"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus30.jpg" width="500" height="321" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"I wouldn't have it for a gift, even if they threw in a tusk brush and -diamond earrings besides!" snorted Kabumpo. "Why, it's nothing but a -humpy bumpy acre of rock without a tree, a house, a bird or even a -blade of grass. I'd give the whole country for a mouthful of hay or a -bucketful of water!"</p> - -<p>"We might find a spring among the rocks," proposed Randy, hurrying -along hopefully.</p> - -<p>"More likely a fall," predicted Kabumpo, trudging gloomily behind him. -But just then, Randy, who had vanished behind a sizable boulder, gave -an excited whoop.</p> - -<p>"Hi, yi, Kabumpo! We're here! We're here, right on the edge of it!" he -shouted vociferously. "LOOK!" The Elegant Elephant, pushing round the -rock, did look, then, mopping his forehead with the tip of his robe, -sank heavily to his haunches and for a moment neither said a word. For, -truly enough, the jagged point of Headland projected over the desert -as a high cliff hangs over the sea. Below, the seething sand smoked, -churned and tumbled, sending up sulphurous waves of heat that made both -travelers cough and splutter.</p> - -<p>"So, all we have to do is cross," gasped Randy, dashing the tears -brought by the smoke out of his eyes.</p> - -<p>"And a simple thing that will be," grunted the Elegant Elephant -sarcastically, "seeing that one foot on the sand spells instant -destruction. If we could just flap our ears like the Headmen, we could -fly across."</p> - -<p>"But as we can't," sighed Randy, seating himself despondently on a -boulder. "What are we to do?"</p> - -<p>"Well, that remains to be seen," muttered Kabumpo, who had not the -faintest notion. "'Never cross a Deadly Desert on an empty stomach,' is -my motto, and I'm going to stick to it."</p> - -<p>"Sticking to mottoes won't get us anywhere," Randy said, skimming a -stone off the edge and watching with a little shudder as it was sucked -down into the whirling sand. "Doesn't that desert make you thirsty? -Goopers, if I had a dipperful of water I'd gladly do without the -breakfast."</p> - -<p>"Humph! looks as if you might have that wish." Feeling hurriedly in the -right pocket of his robe, Kabumpo dragged out a waterproof as large -as a tent. "Just spread this over me, will you?" he puffed anxiously. -"Storm coming. Hear that thunder? Storm coming."</p> - -<p>"Coming?" cried Randy, springing up to help Kabumpo with the buckles. -"Why, it's here." He had to raise his voice to a scream to make himself -heard above the gale that, arising apparently from nowhere, struck them -furiously from behind. He had just fastened the last strap of the -waterproof to Kabumpo's left ankle when the rain swept down in perfect -torrents; rain, accompanied by hailstones as big as Easter eggs. There -was ample room for Randy beneath the Elegant Elephant, and standing -between his front legs the young monarch lifted the waterproof, and -reaching out caught a huge hailstone in his hand. Touching it against -his parched lips, Randy gave a sigh of content, then crunching it up -rapturously, stuck out his head and let the pelting downpour cool his -hot and dusty face.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus31.jpg" width="500" height="332" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Wonder if this will put out the desert?" he mused, ducking back as a -terrible clap of thunder boomed like a cannon shot overhead. "SAY, it's -a lucky thing you're so big, Kabumpo," he called up cheerily, "or we'd -be blown away. Whee—listen to that wind, would you!"</p> - -<p>"Have to do more than listen," howled the Elegant Elephant, bracing -his feet and lowering his head. "Ahoy! below—catch hold of something, -Randy! Help! Hi! Hold on! HOLD ON! For the love of blue—mountains! -Here we GO! Here we blow! Oooomph! Bloomph! Ker—AHHHHH!"</p> - -<p>"Oh, no, Kabumpo! NO!" Leaping up, Randy caught the Elegant Elephant's -broad belt. "Put on—the brakes! Quick!" And Kabumpo did try making a -futile stand against the tearing wind. But the mighty gale, whistling -under his waterproof filled it up and out like a balloon, and with a -regular ferry-boat blast, Kabumpo rose into the air and zoomed like a -Zeppelin over the Deadly Desert, while Randy, hanging grimly to the -strap of his belt, banged to and fro like the clapper on a bell.</p> - - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_6" id="CHAPTER_6"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus32.jpg" width="500" height="332" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 6<br /> - -<small>The Other Side of the Desert</small></h2> - - -<p>Remembering the deadly and destroying nature of the sands below, Randy -did not dare to look down. Besides, holding on took all his strength -and attention, for Kabumpo was borne like a leaf before the howling -gale, faster and faster and faster, till he and Randy were too dazed -and dizzy to know or care how far they had gone or where they were -blowing to. Which was perhaps just as well, for, as suddenly as it had -risen, the gale abated and, coasting down the last high hill of the -wind, saved from a serious crash only by his faithful tarpaulin, which -now acted as a parachute, Kabumpo came jolting to earth. With closed -eyes and trunk held stiffly before him, the Elegant Elephant remained -perfectly motionless awaiting destruction and wondering vaguely how -it would feel. He was convinced that they had come down on the desert -itself. Then, as no fierce blasts of heat assailed him, he ventured -to open one eye. Randy, shaken loose by the force of the landing, had -rolled to the ground a few feet away, and now, jumping to his feet, -cried joyously:</p> - -<p>"Why, it's over, Kabumpo—over, and so are we! Ho! I never knew you -could fly, old Push-the-Foot."</p> - -<p>"Neither did I," shuddered the Elegant Elephant, and jerking off the -waterproof he flung it as hard and as far as he could.</p> - -<p>"Oh, don't do that!" Randy dashed away to pick it up. "That good old -coat saved our bacon and ballooned us across the desert as light as a -couple of daisies."</p> - -<p>"But we're no better off on this side than on the other," grumbled -Kabumpo, surveying the barren countryside with positive hatred. "Not a -house, a field, a farm or a castle in sight."</p> - -<p>"The idea was to get away from castles, wasn't it?" Randy grinned up -at his huge friend and, folding the waterproof into a neat packet, -tucked it back in its place.</p> - -<p>"Well, there's one thing about castles," observed the Elegant Elephant, -giving his robe a quick tug here and there. "At least, the food's -regular. I could eat a royal dinner from soup to napkins."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus33.jpg" width="500" height="330" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Give me a boost up that tree and I'll have a look around," proposed -Randy.</p> - -<p>"Need a spy-glass to find anything worth looking at in this country," -complained Kabumpo, lifting Randy into the fork of a gnarled old tree. -Shinning expertly up the rough trunk, Randy looked carefully in all -directions.</p> - -<p>"We certainly cleared the desert by a nice margin," he called down -gaily. "It's at least a mile behind us, and toward the east I see a -cluster of white towers that might be a castle."</p> - -<p>"And nothing between," mourned Kabumpo with a hungry swallow. "No -fields, orchards or melon patches?"</p> - -<p>"There are fields, but they're too far away for me to see what's -growing, and there's a forest too. What country is this, Kabumpo? Do -you know?"</p> - -<p>"Depends on how we blew," answered the Elegant Elephant, lifting Randy -out of the tree and tossing him lightly over his shoulder. "If we blew -straight from Headland, which is certainly the northwestern tip of the -Gilliken Country of Oz, we should be in No Land. If we blew slantwise, -this would be Ix."</p> - -<p>"Then I hope we blew slantwise." Randy spread himself out luxuriantly -behind Kabumpo's ears. "For if we are in Ix, we have only one country -to cross before we reach Ev and Jinnicky's castle."</p> - -<p>"And the sooner we start, the sooner we'll arrive," agreed Kabumpo, -swinging into motion. "But if I drop in my tracks, boy, don't be too -surprised. I'm hollow as a drum and weak as a violet."</p> - -<p>"Too bad we're not like the Headmen," said Randy, who felt dreadfully -hollow himself. "Without a body, I suppose one does not feel hungry. -Wonder what became of them, anyway?"</p> - -<p>"Who cares?" sniffed Kabumpo, picking his way crossly through the rocks -and brambles. "They probably blew about for a while, but with ears like -sails, what's a gale of wind or weather? Ho! what's that I see yonder, -a farmer?"</p> - -<p>"No, just a hat stuck on a pole to scare away the crows," Randy told -him after a careful squint. "But nothing grows in the field but rocks, -so why do they bother?"</p> - -<p>"Did you say a 'hat'?" Kabumpo's small eyes began to burn and twinkle, -and breaking into a run he was across the field like a flash.</p> - -<p>"Kabumpo!" gasped Randy, as the Elegant Elephant snatched the hat from -the pole and took a huge bite from the brim. "Surely, surely you're not -going to eat that old hat?"</p> - -<p>"Why not?" demanded the Elegant Elephant, cramming the rest of the hat -into his mouth and crunching it up with great gusto. "It's straw, isn't -it? A little old and tough, to be sure, but nourishing, and anyway -better than nothing!" Almost strangling on the crown, Kabumpo glanced -sharply across the field, then looked apologetically back at his young -rider. "Great Gooselberries," he muttered contritely, "I'm sorry as a -goat. Why, I never saved you even an edge!"</p> - -<p>"Oh, never mind," choked Randy, holding his sides at the very idea of -such a thing. "Even if I were starving, I couldn't eat a hat. But look, -old Push-the-Foot, isn't that a barn showing over the top of that hill?"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus34.jpg" width="500" height="336" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Barn!" wheezed Kabumpo, lifting his trunk joyfully. "Why, so it is! -Ho! This is something like!" And hiccoughing excitedly, from the -effects of the hat, no doubt, Kabumpo went galloping over the brow of -the little hill.</p> - -<p>A pleasant valley dotted with small farms stretched out below. Randy -was relieved to note that its inhabitants were usual-looking beings -like himself. Children rode gleefully on wagons piled high with -hay. Farmers in wide-brimmed yellow hats, rather like those worn by -the Winkies in Oz, worked placidly in the fields. Everyone seemed -contented, calm and happy; that is, until Kabumpo, delighted to -find himself again in a land of plenty, came charging down the hill -trumpeting like a whole band of music.</p> - -<p>"Oh, too bad, you've frightened them nearly out of their wits," mourned -Randy, hanging on to Kabumpo's collar to keep his balance as the -Elegant Elephant, forgetting his elegance, made a dash for the nearest -hayrick.</p> - -<p>"Help Hi—stop! Now see what you've done!"</p> - -<p>To tell the truth, the havoc ensuing was not all Kabumpo's fault. No -one in this tranquil valley of Ix had ever seen an elephant before, and -the sight of one rushing down upon them was so unnerving and strange -they fled in every direction, leaping into barns and houses, and -barring and double-barring the doors against this terrifying monster. -Horses hitched to their hay wagons cantered madly east and west, -and the air was filled with loud shrieks, neighs and the bellows of -stampeding cattle.</p> - -<p>"Such dummies!" panted Kabumpo, coming to a complete standstill. -"Well," he gave a tremendous sniff, "if they don't want to meet a King, -a Prince and the most elegant elephant in Oz, what do we care? I've -invited myself to breakfast anyhow, and they can like it or Kabump it. -Just wait till I load away one stack of this hay, my boy, and I'll find -you a breakfast fit for a King and Traveler."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus35.jpg" width="500" height="318" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>And the Elegant Elephant was good as his word. After tossing down -a great mound of new-mown hay, he swaggered over to the nearest -farmhouse. Pushing in the kitchen window with his trunk, he handed -up to Randy everything the little farmer's wife had on her kitchen -table—a bowl of milk, a pat of butter, a loaf of bread, a cold half -chicken and three hard-boiled eggs.</p> - -<p>"Do control yourself, madam," he advised, as the palpitating little -lady flattened herself against the opposite wall. "These pearls will -more than pay for your provisions."</p> - -<p>Afraid to touch the lovely chain Kabumpo placed on the table, the -little Ixey watched with round eyes as Kabumpo backed away.</p> - -<p>"Ho, I guess that will give her something to tell her grandchildren!" -snorted the Elegant Elephant. Randy was too busy taking rapturous -bites, first of bread and then of chicken, to answer.</p> - -<p>"Why is it that everything tastes so much better when you are -traveling?" he remarked a bit later, as he finished off the rest of the -chicken and put the bread, butter and eggs away for his lunch.</p> - -<p>"'Cause we're hungrier, I suppose," smiled Kabumpo, crossing another -field, "and then, there's the novelty."</p> - -<p>Recalling the straw hat with a little chuckle, Kabumpo winked back at -his young rider.</p> - -<p>"But now that we've breakfasted I think we'd better be moving. I see -some of these farmers gathering up their courage and their pitchforks -and I'm too full to fight."</p> - -<p>"Pooh! they couldn't hurt us," boasted Randy, stretching out -comfortably. "I rather wish they hadn't run off, though, I'd like to -ask them something about the country, and you know, Kabumpo—I've never -ridden on a hay wagon in all my life and I'd sorta like to try it."</p> - -<p>"That's the worst of being a King," observed Kabumpo, walking carefully -around a brown calf. "You miss a lot of the common and ordinary -pleasures. Hmm—mmn, let's see, now, all the horses have run off, but -there's still a heap of hay about—so why shouldn't you have a ride?"</p> - -<p>"Without any wagon?" inquired Randy, looking wistfully at the largest -of the haystacks.</p> - -<p>"Why not?" puffed Kabumpo, and lifting Randy hurriedly down from his -back, he rushed at the hayrick, burrowing into it with tusk, feet and -trunk till he was in the exact center. Then heaving up with his back -and forward with his trunk, he pushed till his head stuck out the other -side. "Come ON!" he grunted triumphantly. "You'll not only have your -hay ride, but I'll have my lunch!"</p> - -<p>Throwing Randy to the top of the load, the Elegant Elephant, looking -far from elegant, set off at a lumbersome gallop, carrying the haystack -right along with him. At sight of his prize hayrick apparently running -away by itself, the outraged owner stuck his head out of the window and -screamed. But that did not bother Kabumpo. The load was but a feather's -weight to him, and with the young King of Regalia dancing and yelling -on the top, he swept merrily through the startled valley.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus36.jpg" width="500" height="326" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>Those at the lower end who had not seen Kabumpo arrive, now catching -sight of a load of hay moving off by itself, simply fell against fences -and barn doors, blinking and gulping with astonishment, too stunned and -shocked to return the gay greetings of the nonchalant young Gilliken -riding the load. Kabumpo, sampling stray wisps as he ran and peering -out comically from under the hay, enjoyed to the utmost the sensation -he was causing.</p> - -<p>"Make a wish, my boy," he shouted exuberantly. "It's awfully lucky to -wish on the first load of hay."</p> - -<p>"Then I wish we would reach the Red Jinn's castle before night," -decided Randy. "And wouldn't Jinnicky laugh if he could see us now? Did -you leave a pearl for the hay, Kabumpo?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly," retorted the elephant, speaking rather stuffily through -the haystack. "We're travelers, not thieves. Hi! what's ahead, my lad? -This load has shifted a bit over my left eye and I can scarcely see out -of my right."</p> - -<p>"A dry river bed," called Randy, bouncing up and down with the keenest -enjoyment. "Go slow, old Push-the-Foot, or you'll lose your lunch."</p> - -<p>"Not on your life!" puffed the Elegant Elephant. "I'll stop and eat it -first. Ho—"</p> - -<div class="poetry"><div class="stanza"> -<div class="verse">"Hay foot, straw foot, any foot will do,</div> -<div class="verse">Down the bank and up the bank, and now, how is the view?"</div> -</div></div> - -<p>"Elegant," breathed Randy, grinning to himself at Kabumpo's verses. -"More fields—meadows—forests, everything!"</p> - -<p>"But even so, I smell sulphur!" Kabumpo moved his trunk slowly from -side to side. "Something's burning, my lad, and close at hand, too."</p> - -<p>"Why, it's a HORSE!" Randy's voice cracked from the sheer shock of the -thing. "And coming straight for us, too. Wait! Stop! Hold on! No, maybe -you'd better run. Great Gillikens, it's smoking!"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus37.jpg" width="500" height="310" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"A pipe?" inquired Kabumpo, trying to see through the fringe of hay -that was obscuring his vision. "And what if it is? Am I, the Elegant -Elephant of Oz, to run from a mere and miserable equine?"</p> - -<p>"But this horse," squealed Randy, sliding head first off the haystack, -"this horse is different. Oh, really, REALLY, Kabumpo, I think we'd -better run."</p> - -<p>"Never!" Pushing the hay off his forehead with his trunk, Kabumpo -looked fiercely out, then, with a start that dislodged half the load, -he began backing off as rapidly as he could, dragging Randy along by -the tail of his coat.</p> - - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_7" id="CHAPTER_7"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus38.jpg" width="500" height="327" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 7<br /> - -<small>The Princess of Anuther Planet</small></h2> - - -<p>Even so, Kabumpo was not fast enough, and as the immense black charger -with its tail and mane curling like smoke, its fiery nostrils flashing -flames a foot long, came galloping upon them, Randy flung himself face -down on the ground to escape its burning breath. The most terrifying -thing about the black steed was the complete silentness of its coming. -Its metal-shod feet struck the earth without making a sound, giving -Kabumpo such a sense of unreality he could not believe it was true, nor -move another step. In consequence, as the enormous animal swirled to -a halt before him, a dozen darting flames from its nostrils set fire to -the load of hay on his back, enveloping him in a hot and exceedingly -dangerous bonfire.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus39.jpg" width="279" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>Now thoroughly aroused, Kabumpo leapt this way and that, and Randy, -unmindful of his own danger, jumped up and tried to beat out the -fire with his cloak. But the hay blazed and crackled and the Elegant -Elephant would certainly have been roasted like a potato, had he not -reared up on his hind legs and let the whole burning burden slide -from his back. Scorched and infuriated, his royal robes burned and -blackened, Kabumpo backed into a handy brook and sat down, from which -position he glared with positive hatred at his prancing adversary. But -a complete change had come over this strange and unbelievable steed; -his nostrils no longer spurted flames and as Randy plumped down beside -Kabumpo, deciding this was the safest spot for both of them, the lordly -creature dropped to its knees and touched its forehead three times to -the earth.</p> - -<p>"Away, away! You big meddlesome menace!" panted the Elegant Elephant, -throwing up his trunk. "Begone, you good-for-nothing hay burner!"</p> - -<p>"But, Kabumpo," pleaded Randy, as the horse, paying no attention to the -Elegant Elephant's angry screeches, began throwing little puffs of red -smoke into the air, "he's trying to give us a message. LOOK!"</p> - -<p>"Hail and salutations!" The words floated out smoothly and ranged -themselves in a neat line. "I hereby acknowledge you as my master! I -can flash fire from the eye, the nose and the mouth; but you—you flash -fire from the whole body! Hail and salutations from Thun, the Thunder -Colt. Yonder rests my Mistress Planetty, Princess of Anuther Planet! -Who are you, great-and-much-to-be-envied spurter of fire?"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus40.jpg" width="500" height="300" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Sky writing!" gasped Randy. "Oh, Kabumpo, how're we going to -answer? He did not hear your scolding. I don't believe he can hear -at all. Fire spurter! Ho, ho! And HOW are you going to keep up that -reputation?"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus41.jpg" width="500" height="352" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"I'm not!" grunted Kabumpo, but in a much less savage voice, for he was -almost completely won over by the Thunder Colt's flattery. "Hmmm-hhh, -let me see, now, couldn't we signal to the silly brute? There he stands -looking up in the air for an answer."</p> - -<p>"Well," Randy said, "with your trunk and my arms we could form any -number of letters, so—"</p> - -<p>"This is Kabumpo, Elegant Elephant of Oz. I am Randy, King of Regalia."</p> - -<p>With infinite pains and patience the two spelled out the message. -Puzzled at first, then seeming to understand, Thun's clear yellow eyes -snapped and twinkled with interest. Tossing his smoky mane, he puffed a -single word into the air. "Come!" Then away he flashed at his noiseless -gallop.</p> - -<p>"Shall we?" cried Randy, jumping out of the creek, for he was curious -to know more about the Thunder Colt and to meet the Princess of Anuther -Planet. "Are you cooled off? Did the water put you out?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, I'm put out all right," grumbled Kabumpo, lurching up the bank. -"Very put out and in splendid shape to meet a Princess, I must say."</p> - -<p>"Come on, you don't look so bad," urged Randy, tugging impatiently at -his tusk, while Kabumpo himself endeavored to wring the water out of -his robe with his trunk. "Even without any trappings or jewels at all, -you'd stand out in any company. There's nobody bigger or handsomer than -you, Kabumpo! Know it?"</p> - -<p>"HAH!" The Elegant Elephant let go his robe and gave Randy a quick -embrace. "Then what are we waiting for, little Braggerwagger?"</p> - -<p>Tossing the young monarch lightly over his shoulder, the Elegant -Elephant started after the Thunder Colt, moving almost as smoothly and -silently as Thun himself. Without one look behind, Thun had disappeared -into a green forest, and how cool and delicious it seemed to Randy -and Kabumpo after the dry desert lands they had been traversing. -Flashing in and out between the tall trees, the Thunder Colt led them -to an ancient oak, set by itself in a little clearing. Here, leaning -thoughtfully against the bole of the tree, stood the little Princess of -Anuther Planet.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus42.jpg" width="283" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>Kabumpo, recognizing royalty at once when he saw it, lifted his trunk -in a grave and dignified salute. Randy bowed, but in such a daze of -surprise and admiration he scarcely knew he was bowing. The small -figure under the oak was strange and beautiful beyond description, -giving an impression both of strength and delicacy. Planetty was -fashioned of tiny meshed links, fine as the chain mail worn by medieval -knights, of a metal that resembled silver, but which at the same time -was iridescent and sparkling as glass. Yet the Princess of Anuther -Planet was live and soft as Randy's own flesh-and-bone self. Her eyes -were clear and yellow like Thun's; her hair, a cascade of gossamer -net, sprayed out over her shoulders and fell half-way to her feet. -Planetty's garments, trim and shaped to her figure, were of some -veil-like net, and, floating from her shoulders, was a cloak of larger -meshed metal thread almost like a fisherman's net.</p> - -<p>"Highnesses, Highness! Oh, very high Highnesses!" Prancing lightly -before her, Thun puffed his announcement importantly into the air. -"Here you see Kabumpty, Nelegant Nelephant of Noz, and Sandy, King of -Segalia."</p> - -<p>"Oh, my goodness! He has us all mixed up," worried Randy in a whispered -aside to Kabumpo, whose ears had gone straight back at the dreadful -name Thun had fastened upon him.</p> - -<p>"Never mind, I too am mixed up. Everything down here is too perfectly -lettling."</p> - -<p>"Oh, you can speak?" Leaning forward, Randy gazed delightedly down at -the little metal maiden. He had been afraid at first she would use the -same sky-writing talk as Thun.</p> - -<p>"But surely," smiled Planetty, each word striking the air with the -distinctness of a silver bell, so that Randy was almost as interested -in the tune as in the sense. "Only the creature folk on Anuther Planet -are without power of speech or sound making. They must go soft and -silently. That is the lenith law."</p> - -<p>"And a good law, too," observed Kabumpo, looking resentfully up at the -Thunder Colt's fading message. "Permit me to introduce myself again. -Your Highness, I am Kabumpo, Elegant Elephant of Oz, and this is Randy, -King of Regalia, which is also in Oz."</p> - -<p>"Oz?" marveled Planetty, lifting her spear-like silver staff, whose -tip, ending in three metal links, fascinated Randy. "Is this, then, -the Planet of Oz? And what are those, and these, and this?" In rapid -succession the little Princess touched a cluster of violets growing -round the base of the oak, a moss-covered rock and the tall tree itself.</p> - -<p>"Why, flowers, rocks and a tree," laughed Randy. "Surely you must have -flowers, trees and rocks on Anuther Planet."</p> - -<p>"No, no, nothing like this—all these colors and shapes. Everything on -my planet is flat and greyling." The metal maiden raised her hands, as -she searched for the right words to explain Anuther Planet. "It is all -so different with us," she confessed, dropping her arms to her side. -"Yonder, we have zonitors; not trees, but tall shafts of metal to which -we fasten our nets when we sleep or rest. Underfoot we have network of -various sizes and thicknesses with here and there sprays of vanadium. -In our vanadium springs we freshen and renew ourselves, and without -them we stiffen and cease to move."</p> - -<p>With one finger pressed to his forehead, Randy tried to visualize -Planetty's strange greyling world, but Kabumpo, ever more practical, -inquired sharply:</p> - -<p>"And how often must you refresh and renew yourselves, Princess?"</p> - -<p>"Every sonestor in the earling," answered the Princess with a bright -nod.</p> - -<p>Thun, tiring of a conversation he could not hear, had cantered off to -investigate a rabbit, and Randy, sliding to the ground, came over to -stand nearer to this strange little Princess.</p> - -<p>"Kabumpo and I do not understand all those words," he told her gently. -"'Sonestor—earling'—what do they mean?"</p> - -<p>"Why, a sonestor," trilled Planetty, throwing back her head and showing -all of her tiny silver teeth, "is one dark, one light, one dark, one -light, one dark, one light, one dark, one light, one dark, one light, -one dark, one light, one dark, one light, and earling is when you waken -from ret."</p> - -<p>"Help!" shuddered Kabumpo shaking his ears as if he had a bee in them.</p> - -<p>"I know what she means," crowed Randy, snapping his fingers gleefully. -"A sonestor on Anuther Planet is the same as a week here; all those -lights and darks are days, and earling is the morning and ret is rest!"</p> - -<p>"Then, do you realize," worried Kabumpo, as Planetty looked -questioningly from one to the other, "that if this little lady and her -colt are separated from their vanadium springs for a week, they will -become stiff, motionless statues? And that—" the Elegant Elephant -looked the pretty little Princess first up and then down. "That would -be a great pity! We must help them back to Anuther Planet as soon as we -can, my boy."</p> - -<p>"Yes, yes, that is what you must do," Planetty clapped her small -silvery hands and blew a kiss to the elephant. "If Thun had just not -jumped on that thunderbolt!"</p> - -<p>"Jumped on a thunderbolt, did he?" A reluctant admiration crept into -Kabumpo's voice. The Princess nodded so emphatically her long, lovely -hair danced and shimmered round her face like a cloud shot with -starlight.</p> - -<p>"You see," she went on gravely, "we were on our way to a zorodell." -Kabumpo and Randy exchanged startled glances, but, realizing there -would be many odd words in Planetty's language, did not interrupt her. -"And half-way there," continued Planetty calmly, "a dreadful storm -overtook us. A bright flash of lightning frightened Thun, and though -I signaled for him to stop, he sprang right up on a huge glowing -thunderbolt that had fallen across the netway, and it fell and fell and -fell—bringing us to where we now are."</p> - -<p>"Well, that's one way of going places," commented Kabumpo, swinging his -trunk from side to side.</p> - -<p>"But how can we find Anuther Planet when none of us fly?" demanded -Randy anxiously. "It must be miles above this country, for think how -fast and far thunderbolts fall when they fall."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus43.jpg" width="482" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Now you've forgotten the Red Jinn," boomed Kabumpo, winking meaningly -at the young King, for at Randy's words the little Princess had covered -her face with her hands and three yellow jewels had trickled through -her fingers. "Jinnicky can help Planetty and Thun go any place they -wish," insisted Kabumpo in his loud challenging bass. "Come, Princess, -summon your fire-breathing steed, and we will travel on to the most -powerful wizard in Ev."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus44.jpg" width="500" height="335" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Ev? Wizard? Oh, how gay it all sounds." Planetty's voice rang out -merrily as Christmas bells. With a lively skip she tapped her staff -three times on the ground, and Thun, though out of sight, came -instantly bounding back to his little mistress. Vaulting easily upon -his back, the Princess of Anuther Planet lifted her staff, and Kabumpo, -picking up Randy, started away like a whole conquering army.</p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_8" id="CHAPTER_8"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus45.jpg" width="500" height="340" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 8<br /> - -<small>On to Ev</small></h2> - - -<p>"Is there any way you can signal to your mount to trot ahead?" inquired -Kabumpo, looking down sideways at the Thunder Colt, whose breath was -blowing hot and uncomfortable against his side. "Let Thun be the -vanguard," he suggested craftily. "When I trumpet once, turn him left; -at two, turn right; at three, he must halt."</p> - -<p>"Oh, fine," approved Planetty, tapping out the message with her heel on -the Thunder Colt's flank. "That will be simply delishicus."</p> - -<p>Thun evidently agreed with her, for, tossing his smoky mane, he -cantered to a position just ahead of the Elegant Elephant, at which -Kabumpo heaved a huge sigh of relief. He did not wish to hurt Thun's -feelings, neither did he wish to catch fire again.</p> - -<p>"Here travel Thun, the Thunder Colt, Planetty, Princess of Anuther -Planet; Kabumpty of Noz; and Slandy, King of Segalia! Give way, all ye -comers and goers, and arouse me not, for I am a seething mass of molten -metal!"</p> - -<p>"Is he really?" marveled Randy, gazing up at the fiery message floating -like a banner over their heads. Planetty nodded absently, her interest -so taken up with the wild flowers below, the blue sky above, and the -wide-armed, lacy-leafed trees of this ancient forest she could not bear -to turn her head for fear of missing something. On her own far-away -metal planet, skies were grey and leaden, and the various levels of -slate and silver strata arranged in stiff and net-like patterns. The -gay colors of this bright new world simply delighted her, and Randy and -Kabumpo she considered beings of rare and singular beauty. The word -she used to herself when she thought of them was "netiful," which is -Anuther way of saying beautiful.</p> - -<p>"A wonder that high-talking Thomas couldn't get a name straight once -in a while!" complained Kabumpo out of one corner of his mouth, as -Thun's sentence spiraled away in thin pink smoke.</p> - -<p>"Oh, what difference does it make?" laughed Randy. "I think 'Kabumpty' -is real cute."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus46.jpg" width="288" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"CUTE!" raged the Elegant Elephant with such a fierce blast Planetty -promptly turned Thun to the left.</p> - -<p>"Now see what you've done," snickered Randy, giving Kabumpo's ear a -mischievous tweak. "They think you want them to go left."</p> - -<p>"As a matter of fact, I do," snapped Kabumpo grumpily. "We must go east -through Ix and then north to Ev."</p> - -<p>"Puzzling and more puzzling," murmured Planetty, looking round at the -Elegant Elephant. "Where are all these curious places, Bumpo dear? I -thought all the time we were in Noz. Did you not tell us you were the -Big Bumpo of Noz?"</p> - -<p>Randy peered rather anxiously over Kabumpo's ear to see how he was -taking this second nickname, but he need not have worried. The "dear -Bumpo," spoken in the metal maid's ringing tones, fell like a charm -on Kabumpo's ruffled feelings. And, fairly oozing complacency and -importance, he began to explain his own and Randy's real names and -countries, hoping Planetty would straighten them out in her own head, -if not in Thun's.</p> - -<p>"You are right," he started off sonorously. "Randy and I both live in -the Land of Oz, a great oblong country entirely surrounded by a desert -of burning sand. But in Oz there are many, many Kingdoms: first of all, -the four large realms, the Gilliken Country of the North, the Quadling -Country of the South, the Empire of the Winkies in the East, and the -Land of the Munchkins in the West. Each of these Kingdoms has its own -sovereign; but all are under the supreme rule of Ozma, a fairy Princess -as lovely as your own small self, and Ozma lives in an Emerald City in -the exact center of Oz."</p> - -<p>Kabumpo paused impressively while Planetty's eyes twinkled merrily at -his delicate flattery. "Now Randy and I hail from the north Gilliken -Country of Oz," proceeded the Elegant Elephant, moving along as he -spoke in a grand and leisurely manner. "I come from the Kingdom of -Pumperdink, and Randy from the Regal little realm of Regalia. Only -yesterday I arrived in Regalia to visit Randy, and we are now on our -way to the castle of the Red Jinn, as I think I told you before. If we -were in Oz, my dear—" Kabumpo rather lingered over the "dear"—"Ozma -and her clever assistant, the Wizard of Oz, would quickly transport you -to Anuther Planet with the magic belt. But, you see, we are not in Oz, -for the same storm that overtook you and Thun overtook us, and hurled -us across the Deadly Desert to this Kingdom of Ix, where we all now -find ourselves. Fortunately, too, for otherwise we might never have met -a Princess from Anuther Planet."</p> - -<p>The little Princess nodded in bright agreement.</p> - -<p>"So—" continued Kabumpo, picking a huge tiger-lily and holding it out -to her, "as it is too difficult to travel back to the Emerald City of -Oz, we will take you with us to the Wizard of Ev, whose castle is on -the Nonestic Ocean in the country adjoining Ix."</p> - -<p>"And a wizard is what?" Planetty turned almost completely round on her -black charger, smiling teasingly over the tiger-lily at Kabumpo.</p> - -<p>"Why, a wizard—er—a wizard—" The Elegant Elephant fumbled a bit -trying to find the right words to explain.</p> - -<p>"A wizard is a person who can do by magic what other people cannot do -at all," finished Randy neatly.</p> - -<p>"Magic?" Planetty still looked puzzled.</p> - -<p>"Oh, never mind all the words," comforted Kabumpo, flapping his ears -good naturedly, "you'll soon see for yourself what they all mean, and -I'm sure Jinnicky will be charmed to do his best tricks for you and -send you back in fine and proper style to your own planet."</p> - -<p>"Yes, Jinnicky can do almost anything," boasted Randy, taking off his -crown and setting it back very much atilt, "and he's good fun too. -You'll like Jinnicky."</p> - -<p>"As much as Big Bumpo?" Planetty rolled her soft eyes fondly back at -the Elegant Elephant, and Randy, feeling an unaccountable twinge of -jealousy, wished she would look at him that way.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus47.jpg" width="500" height="287" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Oh, maybe not so much as Kabumpo; of course, there's nobody like -HIM—but pretty much as much," declared the young King loyally.</p> - -<p>"But I like everything down here," decided Planetty, leaning forward to -tickle Thun's ear with the lily. "It's all so nite and netiful."</p> - -<p>"So now we know what we are," whispered Randy under his breath -to Kabumpo. "And wait till Jinnicky sees us traveling with a -fire-breathing Thunder Colt and the Princess of Anuther Planet. Oh, -don't we meet important people on our journeys, Kabumpo?"</p> - -<p>"Well, don't they meet US?" murmured the Elegant Elephant, increasing -his speed a little to keep up with Thun. "Though I wouldn't call this -colt important myself. How is he any better than an ordinary horse? His -breath is hot and dangerous, and it's not much fun traveling with a -deaf and dumb brute who burns everything he breathes on."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus48.jpg" width="500" height="317" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Oh, he's not so dumb," observed Randy. "Look at the way he leaped over -that fallen log just now, and think how useful he'll be at night to -blaze a trail and light the camp fires."</p> - -<p>"Hadn't thought of that," admitted Kabumpo grudgingly. "I guess he -would show up pretty well in the dark, and I suppose that does make him -trail blazer and lighter of the fires for this particular expedition. -Ho, HO! KERUMPH! And between you and me and the desert, this expedition -had better move pretty fast and not stop for sightseeing. Suppose these -two Nuthers had that vanadium shower at the beginning of the week -instead of the middle, that would give them only about two more days to -go? Great Goosefeathers! I'd hate to have 'em stiffen up on us half-way -to Jinnicky's. I might carry the Princess, but what would we do with -the colt?"</p> - -<p>"Let's not even think of it," begged Randy with a little shudder. -"Great Goopers! Kabumpo, I hope Jinnicky will be at home and his magic -in good working order and powerful enough to send them back or keep -them here if they decide to stay."</p> - -<p>"If they decide to stay?" Kabumpo looked sharply back at his young -rider. "Why should they?"</p> - -<p>"Well, Planetty said she liked it down here, you heard her yourself -a moment ago, and I thought maybe—" Randy's face grew rosy with -embarrassment.</p> - -<p>"Ha, Ha! So that's the way the wind lies!" Kabumpo chuckled -soundlessly. "Well, I wouldn't count on it, my lad," he called up -softly. "She probably has some nite Planetty Prince waiting for her up -yonder, and will fly away without so much as a backward glance. And as -for Jinnicky being at home—why shouldn't he be at home? And as for his -magic not being powerful enough—why shouldn't it be powerful enough? -He was in fine shape and form when I saw him in the Emerald City three -years ago. By the way, why weren't you at that grand celebration? I -understood Ozma invited all the Rulers of the Realm."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus49.jpg" width="500" height="335" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Uncle Hoochafoo did not want me to leave," sighed Randy. "He thinks a -King's place is in his castle."</p> - -<p>"I wonder what he thinks now?" said Kabumpo, trumpeting three times, -for Thun was racing along too far ahead of them.</p> - -<p>"Probably has all the wise men and guards running in circles to find -me," giggled Randy, immediately restored to good humor. "And say, when -I do get back, old Push-the-Foot, I'M going to be KING and everything -will be very different and gay. Yes, there'll be a lot of changes in -Regalia," he decided, shaking his head positively. "Why, all those dull -receptions and reviewings would tire a visitor to tears."</p> - -<p>"Ho, Ho! So you're still expecting her to visit you?" Waving his -trunk, Kabumpo called out in a louder voice. "Not so fast there, -Princess; hold Thun back a bit. We might run into danger and we should -all keep together on a journey. Besides," Kabumpo cleared his throat -apologetically, "Randy and I must stop for a bite to eat."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus50.jpg" width="277" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>Planetty's eyes widened, as they always did at strange words and -customs, but she tugged obediently at Thun's mane and the Thunder -Colt came to an instant halt. Randy himself tried to coax the little -Princess to eat something, but she was so upset and puzzled by the -idea, he finally desisted and tried to share his bread and eggs with -Kabumpo. But the Elegant Elephant generously refused a morsel, knowing -Randy had little enough for himself, and lunched as best he could from -the shoots of young trees and saplings. Thun was so interested when -Kabumpo quenched his thirst at a small spring that he too thrust his -head into the bubbling waters, but withdrew it instantly and with such -an expression of pain and distress Randy concluded that water hurt the -Thunder Colt as much as fire hurt them. He was quite worried till the -flames began to spurt from Thun's nostrils, for he was afraid the water -might have put out Thun's fire and hastened the time when he should -lose all power of life and motion.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus51.jpg" width="500" height="301" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Do you do this often?" inquired Planetty, as Randy tucked what was -left into one of Kabumpo's small pockets.</p> - -<p>"Eat?" Randy laughed in spite of himself. "Oh, about three times a -day—or light," he corrected himself hastily, remembering Planetty had -so designated the daytime. "I suppose that vanadium spray or shower -keeps you and Thun going, the way food does Kabumpo and me?"</p> - -<p>Planetty nodded dreamily, then, seeing Kabumpo was ready to start, she -tapped Thun with her silver heels and away streaked the Thunder Colt, -Kabumpo swinging along at a grand gallop behind him.</p> - -<p>"Strange we have not passed any woodsmen's huts, nor seen any wild -animals," called Randy, jamming his crown down a little tighter to -keep it from sailing off. "Hi! Watch out, there old Push-a-Foot! -There's a wall ahead stretching away on all sides and going up higher -than higher. What's a wall doing in a forest? Perhaps it shuts in the -private shooting preserve of Queen Zixie herself. Say—ay—I'd like to -meet the Queen of this country, wouldn't you?"</p> - -<p>"No time, no time," puffed the Elegant Elephant, giving three short -trumpets to warn Planetty to halt Thun. "Great Grump! whoever built -this wall wanted to shut out everything, even the sky. Can't even get a -squint of the top, can you?"</p> - -<p>"Is this the great Kingdom of Ev?" asked Planetty, who had pulled Thun -up short and was looking at the wooden wall with lively interest.</p> - -<p>"No, no, we're not nearly to Ev." The Elegant Elephant shook his head -impatiently. "Back of this wall lives someone who dotes on privacy, I -take it, or why should he shut himself in and everyone else out? Now, -then, shall we cruise round or knock a hole in the wood? I don't see -any door, do you, Randy?"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus52.jpg" width="500" height="327" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"No, I don't." Standing on the elephant's back, Randy examined the -wall with great care. "Why, it goes for miles," he groaned dolefully. -"Miles!"</p> - -<p>"Then we'll just bump through." Backing off, Kabumpo lowered his head -and was about to lunge forward when Randy gave his ear a sharp tweak.</p> - -<p>"Look!" he directed breathlessly. "Look!" While they had been talking, -Thun had been sniffing curiously at the wooden wall and now a whole -round section of it was blazing merrily. "Hurray! He's burned a hole -big enough for us all to go through," yelled the young King gleefully. -"Come ON!"</p> - -<p>Vexed to think the Thunder Colt had solved the difficulty so easily, -and worried lest the whole wall should catch fire, Kabumpo signaled -for Planetty to precede him. But he need not have worried about Thun's -firing the wall. The Thunder Colt had burned as neat a hole in the -boards as a cigarette burns in paper, and while the edges glowed a bit, -they soon smouldered out, leaving a huge circular opening. So, without -further delay, Kabumpo stepped through, only to find himself facing the -most curious company he had seen in the whole course of his travels.</p> - - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_9" id="CHAPTER_9"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus53.jpg" width="500" height="332" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 9<br /> - -<small>The Box Wood</small></h2> - - -<p>"Why! Why, they're all in boxes!" breathed Randy, as a group with -upraised and boxed fists advanced upon the newcomers.</p> - -<p>"Chillywalla! Chillywalla!" yelled the Boxers, their voices coming -muffled and strange through the hat-boxes they wore on their heads.</p> - -<p>"Chillywalla, Chillywalla, Chillywalla!" echoed Planetty, waving -cheerfully at the oncoming host.</p> - -<p>"Shh-hh, pss-st, Princess, that may be a war cry," warned Randy, -drawing his sword and swinging it so swiftly round his head it -whistled. Thun, too astonished to move a step, stood with lowered -head, his flaming breath darting harmlessly into the moist floor of the -forest.</p> - -<p>"Chillywalla! Chillywalla! Chillywalla!" roared the Boxers, keeping a -safe distance from Kabumpo's lashing trunk. "Chillywalla! CHILLYWALLA!" -Their voices rose loud and imploring. As Randy slid off the Elegant -Elephant's back to place himself beside Planetty, a perfectly enormous -Boxer came clumping out of the Box Wood to the left.</p> - -<p>"Yes! Yes?" he grunted, holding on his hat-box as he ran. When he -caught sight of the travelers, he stopped short, and, not satisfied -with peering through the eyeholes in his hat-box, took it off -altogether and stood staring at them, his square eyes almost popping -from his square head. "Box their ears, box their ears! Box their heads -and arms and rears! Box their legs, their hands and chests, box that -fire plug 'fore all the rest! An IRON box!" screamed Chillywalla, as -Thun, with a soundless snort, sent a shower of sparks into a candy -box bush, toasting all the marshmallows in the boxes. "Oh, aren't you -afraid to go about in this barebacked, barefaced, unboxed condition?" -he panted, "exposed to the awful dangers of the raw outer air?"</p> - -<p>Chillywalla hastily clapped on his hat box, but not before Randy -noticed that his ears were nicely boxed, too. Without waiting for an -answer to his question, the Boxer, with one shove of his enormous boxed -fist, pushed Thun under a Box Tree. Planetty had just time to leap -from his back when Chillywalla shook a huge iron box loose and it came -clanking down over the Thunder Colt. It was open at the bottom, and -Thun, kicking and rearing underneath, jerked it east and west.</p> - -<p>"He'll soon grow used to it," muttered Chillywalla, jabbing a dozen -holes in the metal with a sharp pick he had drawn from a pocket in his -box coat. "Now, then, who's next? Ah! What a lovely lady!" Chillywalla -gazed rapturously at the Princess from Anuther Planet, then clapping -his hands, called sharply: "Bring the jewel boxes for her ears, flower -boxes for herself, a bonnet box for her head, candy boxes for her -hands, slipper boxes for those tiny silver feet. Bring stocking boxes, -glove boxes, and hurry! HURRY!"</p> - -<p>"Oh, PLEASE!" Randy put himself firmly between Planetty and the -determined Chillywalla. "The outer air does not hurt us at all, Mister -Chillywalla; in fact, we like it!"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus54.jpg" width="262" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Just try to find a box big enough for me!" invited Kabumpo, snatching -up the little Princess and setting her high on his shoulder.</p> - -<p>"I think I have a packing box that would just fit," mused the Chief -Boxer, folding his arms and looking sideways at the Elegant Elephant.</p> - -<p>"Pack him up, pack him off, send him packing!" chattered the other -Boxers, who had never seen anything like Kabumpo in their lives and -distrusted him highly. But Chillywalla himself was quite interested in -his singular visitors and inclined to be more than friendly.</p> - -<p>"Better try our boxes," he urged seriously, as he took the pile of -bright cardboard containers an assistant had brought him. "Without -bragging, I can say that they are the best boxes grown—stylish, nicely -fitting and decidedly comfortable to wear."</p> - -<p>"Ha, ha!" rumbled Kabumpo, rocking backward and forward at the very -idea. "Mean to tell me you wear boxes over your other clothes and -everywhere you go?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly." Chillywalla nodded vigorously. "Do you suppose we want to -stand around and disintegrate? What happens to articles after they are -taken out of their boxes?" he demanded argumentatively. "Tell me that."</p> - -<p>"Why," said Randy, thoughtfully, "they're worn, or sold, or eaten, or -spoiled—"</p> - -<p>"Exactly." Chillywalla snapped him up quickly. "They are worn out; -they lose their freshness and their newness. Well, we intend to save -ourselves from such a fate, and we do," he added complacently.</p> - -<p>"You're certainly fresh enough," chuckled Kabumpo with a wink at Randy.</p> - -<p>"But might not these boxes be fun to wear?" inquired Planetty, looking -rather wistfully at the bright heap the Boxer Chief had intended for -her.</p> - -<p>"No, No and NO!" rumbled Kabumpo positively. "No boxes!"</p> - -<p>"As you wish." Chillywalla shrugged his shoulders under his cardboard -clothes box. "Shall I unbox the horse?"</p> - -<p>"Better not," decided Randy, looking anxiously at the sparks issuing -from the punctures in Thun's box. "But perhaps you would show us the -way through this—this—"</p> - -<p>"Box Wood," finished Chillywalla. "Yes, I will be most honored to -conduct you through our forest. And you may pick as many boxes as you -wish, too," he added generously. "I'd like to do something for people -who are so soon to spoil and wither."</p> - -<p>"Ha, ha! Now, I'm sure that's very kind of you," roared Kabumpo, wiping -his eyes on the fringe of his robe. "And I think it best we hurry -along, my good fellow. Ho, whither away? It would never do to have a -spoiled King and Princess and a bad horse and elephant on your hands."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus55.jpg" width="500" height="316" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Oh, if you'd ONLY wear our boxes!" begged Chillywalla, almost ready -to cry at the prospect of his visitors spoiling on the premises. Then -as Kabumpo shook his head again, the Big Boxer started off at a rapid -shuffle, anxious to have them out of the woods as soon as possible. -Thun, during all this conversation, had been kicking and bucking under -his iron box, but now Planetty tapped out a reassuring message with -her staff and the Thunder Colt quieted down. On the whole, he behaved -rather well, following the signals his little mistress tapped out, and -pushing the iron box along without too much discomfort or complaint, -though occasional indignant and fiery protests came puffing out of his -iron container.</p> - -<p>Randy considered the journey through the Box Wood one of their gayest -and most entertaining adventures. The woodmen, in their brightly -decorated boxes, shuffled cheerfully along beside them, stopping now -and then to point with pride to their square box-like dwellings set at -regular intervals under the spreading boxwood trees. The whole forest -was covered by an enormous wooden box that shut out the sky and gave -everything an artificial and unreal look. It was in one side of this -monster box that Thun had burned the hole to admit them. Randy and -Planetty, riding sociably together on Kabumpo's back, picked boxes -from branches of all the trees they could reach, and it was such fun -and so exciting they paid scarcely any attention to the remarks of -Chillywalla. Even the Elegant Elephant snapped off a box or two and -handed them back to his royal riders.</p> - -<p>"Oh, look!" exulted Randy, opening a bright blue cardboard box. "This -is just full of chocolate candy."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus56.jpg" width="278" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Oh, throw that trash away," advised Chillywalla contemptuously. -"We think nothing of the stuff that grows inside, it's the boxes -themselves we are after."</p> - -<p>"But this candy is good," objected Randy after sampling several pieces. -"And mind you, Kabumpo, Planetty has just picked a jewel box full of -real chains, rings and bracelets."</p> - -<p>"Oh, they are netiful, netiful," crooned the Princess of Anuther -Planet, hugging the velvet jewel box to her breast.</p> - -<p>"Keep them if you wish," sniffed Chillywalla, "but they're just rubbish -to us. When we pick boxes we toss the contents away."</p> - -<p>"Now, that's plain foolishness," snorted Kabumpo, aghast at such a -waste, as Randy picked a pencil box full of neatly sharpened pencils -and Planetty a tidy sewing kit fitted out with scissors, needles and -spools of thread. The thimble was not quite ripe, but as Planetty had -never stitched a stitch in her royal life, she did not notice nor care -about that. Indeed, before they came to the other side of the Box -Wood, she and Randy were sitting in the midst of a high heap of their -treasures, and Kabumpo looked as if he were making a lengthy safari, -loaded up and down for the journey.</p> - -<p>Randy had stuffed most of the boxes into big net bags Kabumpo always -brought along for emergencies, and these he tied to the Elegant -Elephant's harness. There were bread boxes packed with tiny loaves -and biscuits, cake boxes stuffed with sugar buns and cookies, stamp -boxes, flower boxes, glove boxes, coat and suit boxes. Last of all, -Randy picked a Band Box and it played such gay tunes when he lifted -the lid, Planetty clapped her silver hands, and even Kabumpo began to -hum under his breath. Traveling through the Box Wood with kind-hearted -Chillywalla was more like a surprise party than anything else. To -Planetty it was all so delightful, she began to wonder how she had ever -been satisfied with her life on Anuther Planet.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus57.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Are all the countries down here as different and happy as this?" she -asked, fingering the necklace she had taken from the jewel box. "All -our countries are greyling and sad. No birds sing, no flowers grow, and -people are all the same."</p> - -<p>"Oh, just wait till you've been to OZ," exclaimed Randy, shutting -the band box so he could talk better. "Oz countries are even more -surprising than this, and wait till you've seen Ev and Jinnicky's Red -Glass Castle!"</p> - -<p>"You'll never reach it," predicted Chillywalla, shaking his hat box -gloomily. "You'll spoil in a few hours now, especially the big one, -loaded down with all that stuff and rubbish. Throw it away," he begged -again, looking so sorrowful Randy was afraid he was going to burst out -crying. "Toss out that rubbish and wear our boxes before it is too -late!"</p> - -<p>"Rubbish!" Randy shook his finger reprovingly at the Boxer. "Why, all -these things are terribly nice and useful. If we go through enemy -countries, we can placate the natives with cakes and cigars, and if -we go through friendly countries, we'll use the suits and flowers -and candy for gifts. Really, you've been a great help to us, Mr. -Chillywalla, and if you ever come to Regalia, you may have anything in -my castle you wish!"</p> - -<p>"Are there any boxes in your castle?" Chillywalla peered up at Randy -through the slits in his hat box.</p> - -<p>"Not many," admitted Randy truthfully. "You see, in my country we keep -the contents and throw the boxes away."</p> - -<p>"Throw the boxes away!" gasped Chillywalla, jumping three times into -the air. "Oh, you rogues! You rascals! You—YOU BOXIBALS! Lefters! -Righters! Boxers all! Here! Here at once! Have at these Box-destroying -savages!"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus58.jpg" width="500" height="297" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Now see what you've done," mourned Kabumpo, as hundreds of the Boxers, -heeding Chillywalla's call, darted out of their dwellings and came -leaping from behind the box bushes and trees. "You've started a war! -That's what!"</p> - -<p>"Box them! Box them good!" shrieked Chillywalla, raining harmless -blows on Kabumpo's trunk with his boxed fists. A hundred more boxed -both Thun and the Elegant Elephant from the rear, and so loud and angry -were their cries Planetty covered her ears.</p> - -<p>"Too bad we have to leave when everything was so pleasant," wheezed -Kabumpo. "But never mind, here's the other side of the Box Wood. -Flatten out, youngsters, and I'll bump through."</p> - -<p>And bump through he did, with such a splintering of boards it sounded -like an explosion of cannon crackers. Thun, at three taps from -Planetty, bumped after him, and before the Boxers realized what was -happening they were far away from there.</p> - -<p>"I'll soon have that box off you!" panted Kabumpo. And putting his -trunk under Thun's iron box, he heaved it up in short order, screaming -shrilly as he did, for the Thunder Colt's breath had made the metal -uncomfortably hot.</p> - -<p>"I thank you, great and mighty Master!" Thun sent the words up in a -perfect shower of sparks. "Let us begone from these noxious boxers."</p> - -<p>"Oh, they're not so bad," mused Randy, as Planetty signaled for Thun to -go left. "Just peculiar. Imagine keeping the boxes and throwing away -all the lovely things inside. And imagine a country where everything -grows in boxes!" he added, standing up to wave at Chillywalla and his -square-headed comrades, who were looking angrily through the break in -the side of their wall.</p> - -<p>"Good-bye!" he called clearly. "Good-bye, Chillywalla, and thanks for -the presents!"</p> - -<p>"Boxibals!" hissed the Boxer Chief and his men, shaking their fists -furiously at the departing visitors.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus59.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"And that makes us no better than cannibals, I suppose," grunted -Kabumpo, looking rather wearily at the stretch of forest ahead. He had -rather hoped to find himself in open country.</p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_10" id="CHAPTER_10"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus60.jpg" width="500" height="327" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 10<br /> - -<small>Night in the Forest</small></h2> - - -<p>All afternoon the four travelers moved through the Ixian forest, -Planetty exclaiming over the flowers, ferns and bright birds that -flitted from tree to tree, Thun sending up frequent high-flown -sentences, Kabumpo and Randy looking rather anxiously for some landmark -that would prove they were on the road to Ev. As it grew darker the -Elegant Elephant wisely decided to make camp, stopping in a small, tidy -clearing for that purpose. As Kabumpo swung to an impressive halt, -Randy slid to the ground, pulling the net bags with him, and began -to sort out the boxes containing food. Then he quickly gathered some -faggots for a fire, as the night was raw and chilly, and had Planetty -signal Thun to breathe on the wood. Thun, only too happy to be of some -use, quickly lighted the camp fire and he and the little Princess -watched curiously while Randy prepared his own and Kabumpo's supper, -making coffee in a tin box with some water Kabumpo had fetched in his -collapsible canvas bucket. The Elegant Elephant did rather well with -the contents of seven cake boxes and four bread and cereal containers, -and Randy found so many good things to eat among Chillywalla's presents -he felt sorry not to be able to share them with Planetty or Thun.</p> - -<p>"It would be more fun if you ate too," he observed, looking down -sideways at the little Princess, who was sitting on a boulder, hands -clasped about her knees, while she gazed contentedly up at the stars.</p> - -<p>"Would it?" Planetty smiled faintly, tapping her silver heels against -the rock. "This seems nite enough," she sighed, stretching up her arms -luxuriantly, "but now it is time to ret."</p> - -<p>Slipping off her long metal cape, the Princess of Anuther Planet tossed -one end against a white birch and the other to a tall pine. To Randy's -surprise the ends of the cape instantly attached themselves to the -trees, making a soft flexible hammock. Into this Planetty climbed with -utmost ease and satisfaction.</p> - -<p>"Good net, Randy and Big Bumpo, dear," she called softly. "Take care of -Thun. I've told him to stay where he is till the earling, and he will, -he will."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus61.jpg" width="500" height="325" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>With a smile Planetty closed her bright eyes and the wind swaying her -silver hammock soon rocked her to sleep. It had been a long day and -Randy felt very drowsy himself. Walking over to the Thunder Colt, he -turned his head so that his fiery breath would fall harmlessly on a -cluster of damp rocks. He was pleased to find this steed from another -planet so obedient and gentle. Though formed of some live and lively -black metal, Thun was soft and satiny to the touch and seemed to enjoy -having his ears scratched and his neck rubbed as much as an ordinary -horse.</p> - -<p>"Tap me twice on the shoulder if aught occurs, Slandy," he signaled, -blowing the words out lazily between Randy's pats. "And good net to -you, my Nozzies! Good net!"</p> - -<p>"That language is just full of foolishness," sniffed Kabumpo, spreading -a blanket on the ground for Randy, and then stretching himself full -length beneath a beech tree. "Put out the fire, Nozzy, my lad, the -creature's breath makes light enough to frighten off any wild men or -monsters."</p> - -<p>"Oh, I don't believe there are any wild beasts or savages in this -forest," Randy said, stamping out the embers of the camp fire. "It's -too quiet and peaceful. I have an idea we're almost across Ix and will -reach Ev by morning. What do you think, Kabumpo?"</p> - -<p>Kabumpo made no answer, for the Elegant Elephant had stopped thinking -and was already comfortably asnore. So, with a terrific yawn, Randy -wrapped himself in the blanket and, curling up close to his big and -faithful comrade, fell into an instant and pleasant slumber. Morning -came all too soon, and Randy was rudely awakened by Kabumpo, who was -shaking him violently by the shoulders.</p> - -<p>"Come on! Come on!" blustered the Elegant Elephant impatiently. "Stir -out of it, my boy, we've all been up for hours. Is it proper to lie -abed and let a Princess light the fire?"</p> - -<p>"She didn't!" Sitting bolt upright, Randy saw that Planetty, with -Thun's help, actually had lighted a fire and set water to boil in the -tin box just as he had done the evening before.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus62.jpg" width="500" height="307" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Oh, my goodness, goodness, Planetty! You mustn't do that rough work," -he exclaimed, hurrying over to take the big cake box from Planetty's -hands.</p> - -<p>"Why not?" beamed the little Princess, hugging the box close. "See, I -have found the great choconut cake for Big Bumpo to eat—I mean neat."</p> - -<p>"Ha, ha! Choconut cake!" Kabumpo swayed merrily from side to side. -"Very neat, my dear. If there's one thing I love for breakfast it's -choconut cake." Laughing so he could hardly keep his balance, Kabumpo -held out his trunk for the cake box. "What a splendid little castle -keeper you'll make for some young King, Netty, my child!"</p> - -<p>"Netty? Is that now my name?" Planetty pushed back her flying cloud of -hair with an interested sniff.</p> - -<p>"If you like it," said Randy, his ears turning quite red at Kabumpo's -teasing remarks. Leading the little Princess to a flat rock, he sat her -down with great ceremony and then began opening up boxes of crackers -and fruit.</p> - -<p>"Netty's a nite name," decided the Princess, her head thoughtfully on -one side. "I must tell Thun."</p> - -<p>Skipping over to the Thunder Colt, who with drooping head and tail was -enjoying a little colt nap, she tapped out her new nickname in the -strange code she used when talking to him.</p> - -<p>"No longer Planetty of Anuther Planet!" flashed Thun, awake in a -twinkling and sending up his message in a shower of sparks. "But -Anetty of Oz!"</p> - -<p>"At least he's left off the N," mumbled Kabumpo, speaking thickly -through the cocoanut cake which he had tossed whole into his capacious -mouth. "Sounds rather well, don't you think?"</p> - -<p>"Wonderful!" agreed Randy, who could scarcely keep his eyes off the -sparkling little Princess. "It's too bad she's not like us, Kabumpo, -then she could go back to Oz and stay there always."</p> - -<p>"If she were like us, she wouldn't be so interesting," said Kabumpo, -shaking his head judiciously. "Besides, down here the poor child is -completely out of her element and liable to disintegrate or suffocate -or Ev knows what—" he went on, discarding a box of prunes for a carton -of tea.</p> - -<p>"How was the cake?" Randy changed the subject, for he could not bear to -think of Planetty in danger of any sort.</p> - -<p>"Stale," announced Kabumpo, making a wry face as he swallowed some tea -leaves. "I'll certainly be glad to catch up with some regular elephant -food. This eating bits out of boxes is diabolical—simply diabolical! -Here, give me those crackers and eat some of that other stuff. And look -at little Netty Ann, would you, shaking out that blanket as if she'd -been traveling with us for years. Why, the lass is a born housewife!"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus63.jpg" width="318" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"And isn't she pretty?" smiled Randy, waving to Planetty as he began -packing the boxes in the net bags again and stamping out the fire. "I -wonder what it's like up where she lives, Kabumpo?"</p> - -<p>"Why not ask her?" Swinging up his saddle sacks, Kabumpo called gaily -to the little Princess, who came running over, the blanket neatly -folded on her arm.</p> - -<p>"Thank you, Netty. You are certainly a great help to us!" Taking the -blanket and giving her an approving pat on the shoulder, Randy caught -hold of Kabumpo's belt strap and pulled himself easily aloft. "All -ready to go?"</p> - -<p>Planetty nodded cheerfully as she mounted the Thunder Colt.</p> - -<p>"Will this lightling be as nite as the last?" she demanded, tapping -Thun gently with her staff.</p> - -<p>"Nicer," promised Randy as Thun pranced merrily ahead, Planetty's long -cape billowing like a silver cloud behind them.</p> - -<p>"What do you do when you are at home?" called Randy as Kabumpo, giving -two short trumpets, followed close on the heels of the Thunder Colt.</p> - -<p>"Home?" Planetty turned a frankly puzzled face.</p> - -<p>"I mean, do you have a house or a castle?" persisted Randy, determined -to have the matter settled in his mind once for all. "Do you have -brothers and sisters, and is your father a King?"</p> - -<p>"No house, no castle, no those other words," answered Planetty in even -greater bewilderment. "On Anuther Planet each is to herself or himself -alone. One floats, rides, skips or drifts through the leadling heights -and lowlands, hanging the cape where one happens to be."</p> - -<p>"Regular gypsies," murmured Kabumpo under his breath. "So nobody -belongs to nobody, and nobody has anybody? Sounds kind of crazy to me."</p> - -<p>"Yes, if you have no families, no fathers or mothers—" Randy was -plainly distressed by such a country and existence—"I don't see how -you came to be at all."</p> - -<p>"We rise full grown from our Vanadium springs, and naturally I have my -own spring. Is that, then, my father?"</p> - -<p>"Tell her 'yes,'" hissed Kabumpo between his tusks. "Why mix her all -up with our way of doing things? If she wants a spring for a father, -let her have it!" Kabumpo waved his trunk largely. "Ho, ho, kerumph! -I've always thought of springs as a cure for rheumatism, but live and -learn—eh, Randy—live and learn."</p> - -<p>Randy paid small attention to the Elegant Elephant's asides; he was -too busy explaining life as it was lived in Oz to Planetty, making it -all so bright and fascinating, the eyes of the little Princess fairly -sparkled with interest and envy.</p> - -<p>"I think I will not go with you to this Wizard of Ev," she announced in -a small voice as the young King paused for breath. "I do not believe I -shall like that old wizard or his castle."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus64.jpg" width="403" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>Touching Thun with her staff, Planetty turned the Thunder Colt sideways -and went zigzagging so rapidly through the trees they almost lost sight -of her entirely.</p> - -<p>"Now what?" stormed the Elegant Elephant, charging recklessly after her -through the forest. "What's come over the little netwit? Come back! -Come back, you foolish girl!" he trumpeted anxiously. "We'll take -you to Oz after you've been to Ev," he added with a sudden burst of -comprehension.</p> - -<p>At Kabumpo's promise, Planetty half turned on her charger. "But this -Wizard of Ev will send us back to Anuther Planet. It is yourself that -has said so."</p> - -<p>"No, no! We just said he would help you!" shouted Randy, leaning -forward and waving both arms for Planetty to turn back. "Oh, you really -must see Jinnicky," he begged earnestly. "Without his magic you cannot -live away from that Vanadium spring. Do you want to be stiff and still -as a statue for the rest of your days?"</p> - -<p>"I'd rather be a statue down here with you and Bumpo, where the birds -sing and the flowers grow and the woods are green and wonderful, than -to be a live Princess of Anuther Planet!" sighed the metal maiden, -hiding her face in Thun's mane.</p> - -<p>"You WOULD?" cried Randy, almost falling off the elephant in his -extreme joy and excitement. "Then you just SHALL, and Jinnicky will -change everything so you can live down here always and come back to Oz -with Kabumpo and me! Would you like that, Planetty?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, that would be netiful!" Clasping Thun with both arms, the little -Princess laid her soft cheek against his neck. "NETIFUL!"</p> - -<p>"Then ride on, Princess! Ride on!" Kabumpo spoke gruffly, for his -feelings had quite overcome him. "Toss me a 'kerchief, will you, -Randy?" he gulped desperately. "Oh, boo hoo, kerSNIFF! To think she -really likes us that much! Do you think she'd hear if I blew my trunk?"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus65.jpg" width="287" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"No, no, she's way ahead of us now," whispered Randy, handing an -enormous handkerchief down to Kabumpo after taking a sly wipe on it -himself. "Oh, isn't this a gorgeous day, Kabumpo, and isn't everything -turning out splendidly? And see there—we've actually come to the end -of the forest."</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_11" id="CHAPTER_11"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus66.jpg" width="500" height="338" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 11<br /> - -<small>The Field of Feathers</small></h2> - - -<p>"Good Gapers, everything's pink!" marveled Randy as Kabumpo, still -muttering and snuffling, pushed his way through the last fringe of the -forest.</p> - -<p>"So now we're in the pink, eh?" With a last convulsive snort, Kabumpo -stuffed the handkerchief into a lower pocket and trumpeted three times -for Thun to halt. "Are those flowers, d'ye 'spose? May I see one of -them, my dear?"</p> - -<p>Catching up with the little Princess who was already on the edge of the -field, Kabumpo took the long spray she had picked and passed it back -to Randy.</p> - -<p>"My gooseness, it's a feather! The largest and finest I've ever seen," -Randy said in surprise. "Hey, I always thought feathers grew on birds, -yet here's a whole field of feathers, Kabumpo—imagine that! And taller -than I am, too."</p> - -<p>"Well, there's no harm in feathers," observed Kabumpo jocularly. "Pick -a plume for your bonnet, my child. The girls in our countries adorn -themselves with these pretty fripperies. I've even worn them myself -at court functions," he admitted self-consciously. "But do you think -you can hold the colt's head up as we go through? Burnt feathers smell -rather awful, and we don't wish to anger the owner or spoil his crop."</p> - -<p>A bit confused by the word "owner" and "crop," Planetty nevertheless -caught the idea and explained it so cleverly to Thun, the Thunder Colt -started through the field, holding his head high and handsome so that -the flames spurted upward and not down.</p> - -<p>"It was rather like ploughing through a wheat field," decided Randy -as Kabumpo, treading lightly as he could, stepped after Thun. It was, -though, more like a sea of waving plumes, endlessly bending, nodding -and rippling in the wind. Planetty gathered armfuls of these bright -and newest treasures, liking them almost as much as the flowers in the -forest. Thun, for his part, found the whole experience irksome in the -extreme.</p> - -<p>"These pink feathers give me the big pain in the neck," he puffed up -indignantly as he trotted along with his head in the air. Planetty, -reading his message with a little smile, was astonished to hear a -series of roars and explosions behind her. Surely Thun's remarks were -not as funny as all that! Turning round, she was shocked to see Kabumpo -swaying and stumbling in his tracks, coughing and spluttering, and torn -by such gigantic guffaws he had already shaken Randy from his back. The -young King himself rolled and twisted on the ground, fairly gasping for -breath.</p> - -<p>"It's the feathers!" he gasped weakly, as Planetty, leaping off the -Thunder Colt, ran back to investigate. "They're tickling us to death. -Get away quickly, Netty, dear, before they get you—Oh, ha, ha, HAH! -Oh, ho, ho! Quick! Before it is too late. Oh, hi, hi, hi! I shall die -laughing!" To the startled little Princess he appeared to be dying -already.</p> - -<p>"No, no! Please not!" she cried, dropping her armful of feathers.</p> - -<p>With surprising strength she jerked Randy upright and, in spite of his -continued roars and wild writhing, managed to fling him across Thun's -back. Now Kabumpo was down, kicking and rolling hysterically. It seemed -to Planetty that the feathers were wickedly alive and tickling them on -purpose. They tossed, swayed and brushed against her and Thun, too, but -having no effect on the metalic skin of the Nuthers, curled away in -distaste.</p> - -<p>"Stop! Stop! I hate you!" screamed Planetty, stamping on the bunch she -had picked a moment before, then struggling in vain to pull Kabumpo up -by his trunk. "Thun! Thun! What shall we do?"</p> - -<p>Racing back to the Thunder Colt, Planetty tapped out all that was -happening to their best and only friends, holding the convulsed and -still laughing Randy in place with one hand as she did so. Thun, from -anxious glances over his shoulder, had guessed more than half the -difficulty.</p> - -<p>"Search in the Kabumpty's pocket for something to tie round him so I -may pull him out of the feathers," flashed the Thunder Colt, swinging -in a circle to prance and stamp on the plumes still curling down to -tickle the helpless boy on his back.</p> - -<p>Feeling in Kabumpo's pockets as he tossed and lashed about was hard -enough, but Planetty, who was quick and clever, soon found a long, -stout, heavily linked gold chain Kabumpo twisted round and round his -neck on important occasions. Slipping the chain through his belt, -the little Princess clasped the other ends round the Thunder Colt's -chest, making a strong and splendid harness. Then, mounting quickly -and holding desperately to Randy, Planetty gave the signal for Thun to -start. And away through the deadly field charged the night black steed, -burning feathers left and right with his flashing breath and dragging -Kabumpo along as easily as if he had been a sack of potatoes instead of -a two-ton elephant. The feathers bending beneath made the going soft so -that the Elegant Elephant did not suffer so much as a scratch, and Thun -galloped so swiftly that in less than ten minutes they had reached the -other side of the beautiful but treacherous field. Going half a mile -beyond, Thun came to an anxious halt, the golden chain falling slack -around his ankles, while Planetty jumped down to see how Kabumpo was -doing now.</p> - -<p>The Elegant Elephant had stopped laughing, but his eyes still rolled -and his muscles still twitched and rippled from the terrible tickling -he had endured. Randy, exhausted and weak, hung like a dummy stuffed -with straw over the Thunder Colt's back.</p> - -<p>"Oh, we were too late, too long!" mourned Planetty, wringing her -hands and running distractedly between the Elegant Elephant and the -insensible King. "Oh, my netness, they will become stiff and still as -Nuthers deprived of their springs," she tapped out dolefully to Thun.</p> - -<p>"Do not be too sure." The Thunder Colt puffed out his message slowly. -"See, already the big Kabumpty is trying to rise."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus67.jpg" width="500" height="245" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>And such, indeed, was the case. Astonished and mortified to find -himself stretched on the ground in broad daylight and still too -confused to realize what had happened, the Elegant Elephant lurched to -his feet and stood blinking uncertainly around. Then, his eyes suddenly -coming into proper focus, he caught sight of Randy lying limply across -the Thunder Colt.</p> - -<p>"What in Oz? What in Ix? What in Ev is the matter here?" he panted, -wobbling dizzily over to Thun.</p> - -<p>"Feathers!" sighed Planetty, clasping both arms round Kabumpo's trunk -and beginning to pat and smooth its wrinkled surface. "The feathers -tickled you and you fell down, my poor Bumpo. Randy too was almost -laughed to the death. What does death mean?" Planetty looked up -anxiously into his eyes.</p> - -<p>"Great Grump! So that was it! Great Gillikens! I remember now, we were -both nearly tickled to death and it was awful, AWFUL! Not that Ozians -ever do die," he explained hastily, "but, after all, we are not in Oz -and anything might have happened. And what I'd like to know is how in -Ev we ever got out of those feathers."</p> - -<p>"Thun pulled you out," Planetty told him proudly. "And look, LOOK, -Bumpo dear, Randy is going to waken, too."</p> - -<p>"Randy! Randy, do you hear that?" Kabumpo lifted the young King down -and shook him gently backward and forward. "This colt of Planetty's, -this Thunder Colt, all by himself, mind you, pulled us out of that -infernal feather field! You and me, but mostly me. Now tell me how did -he manage to pull an elephant all that way?"</p> - -<p>Randy, only half comprehending what Kabumpo was saying, said nothing, -but Thun, guessing Kabumpo's question, threw back his head and puffed -quickly:</p> - -<p>"We Nuthers are strong as iron, Master. Strong for ourselves, strong -for our friends. Thun, the Thunder Colt, will always be strong for -Kabumpty!"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus68.jpg" width="410" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Strong! Strong? Why, you're marvelous," gasped the Elegant Elephant.</p> - -<p>Placing Randy on the ground, he fished jewels from his pocket with -a reckless trunk till he found a band of pearls to fit Thun. Then -carelessly risking the sparks from the Thunder Colt's nostrils, he -fastened the pearls in place.</p> - -<p>"Tell him, tell him THANKS!" he blurted out breathlessly. "Tell him -from now on we are friends and equals, friends and warriors, together!"</p> - -<p>With a pleased nod Planetty translated for Thun, and the delighted -colt, tossing his flying mane, raced round and round his three -comrades, filling the air with high-flown and flaming sentences.</p> - -<p>"Friends and warriors!" he heralded, rearing joyously. "Friends and -warriors!"</p> - -<p>By this time Randy had recovered his breath and his memory and felt not -only able but impatient to continue the journey. The field of feathers -could still be seen waving pink and provokingly in the distance, but -without one backward glance the four travelers set their faces to the -north. A few of Chillywalla's boxes had been crushed while Kabumpo -rolled in the feathers, and he and Randy still felt weak and worn from -their dreadful experience, but these were small matters when they -considered the dreadful fate they had escaped through the quick action -of Planetty and Thun.</p> - -<p>"I always thought of Ix as a pleasant country," sighed Randy as Kabumpo -moved slowly along a shady by-path.</p> - -<p>"I don't believe this is Ix," stated the Elegant Elephant bluntly. -"The air's different, smells salty, and this sandy road looks as if we -might be near the sea. I think myself that we've come north by east -through Ix into Ev and will reach the Nonestic Ocean by evening." -Kabumpo paused to peer up at a rough board nailed to a pine.</p> - -<p>"So! You got through the feathers, did you?" sneered the notice in -threatening red letters. "Then so much the worse for you! Beware! Watch -out! Gludwig the Glubrious has his eye on you."</p> - -<p>"Glubrious!" sniffed Kabumpo, elevating his trunk scornfully as Randy -read and re-read the impertinent message. "I don't recall anyone named -Gludwig, do you?"</p> - -<p>"Sounds rather awful, doesn't it?" whispered Randy, sliding to the -ground to examine the billboard from all sides. "Say, look here, -Kabumpo, there's something on the back. It's been scratched out with -red chalk, but I can still read it."</p> - -<p>"Then read it," advised Kabumpo briefly.</p> - -<p>"This is the Land of Ev! Everybody welcome! Take this road to the -Castle of the Red Jinn."</p> - -<p>"Oh, that means we're almost there!" exulted the young King, but his -joy evaporated quickly as he re-read the other side of the board.</p> - -<p>"Looks as if someone had switched signs on Jinnicky," he muttered, -pushing back his crown with a little whistle. "Do you think anything -has happened to him?"</p> - -<p>"Probably some mischievous country boy trying out his chalk," answered -the Elegant Elephant, not believing one of his own words. "Straight on, -my dear," he called cheerfully to Planetty, who had pulled in the colt -and was looking questioningly back at them. "At last we are in the Land -of Ev, and just ahead lies the castle of our wizard."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus69.jpg" width="500" height="336" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Oh, Bumpo, how nite!" Planetty hugged herself from pure joy. "I've -never seen a castle, I've never seen a wizard!"</p> - -<p>"But, Kabumpo—" worried Randy as the little Princess of Anuther Planet -galloped gaily ahead of them. "Suppose this Gludwig really has his eye -on us? Suppose he rushes out before we can reach Jinnicky's castle?"</p> - -<p>"Well, that will not be very 'nite,' will it?" The Elegant Elephant -spoke ruefully. "But what can we do? Are we going to stop for a mere -sign?"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus70.jpg" width="457" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"No!" declared Randy, feeling about for his sword. "Of course not. But -I'll wager a Willikin he was the fellow who planted those feathers."</p> - -<p>"Very likely," agreed Kabumpo, pushing grimly along through the sand.</p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_12" id="CHAPTER_12"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus71.jpg" width="500" height="327" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 12<br /> - -<small>Arrival at the Castle of the Red Jinn</small></h2> - - -<p>The further they traveled into Ev, the more interesting the country -became to Planetty and Thun. Now wild orange and lemon trees added -their spicy tang to the salty air; waving palms edged the sandy -roadway, and after traversing a grove of lordly cocoanut trees the four -suddenly found themselves facing the great, green, rolling Nonestic.</p> - -<p>"A spring!" caroled Planetty, galloping Thun down to the water's edge. -"Oh, never have I seen so netiful a spring!"</p> - -<p>"Not a spring, Princess, an ocean," corrected Kabumpo, ambling good -naturedly after Thun. "This is a salt salt sea, full of ships, sailors, -shells, crabs, islands, fish and fishermen."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus72.jpg" width="320" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"And will I see all of them?" Slipping from Thun's back Planetty waded -out a little way, hopping gleefully over the edges of the smaller waves.</p> - -<p>"Some time," promised Randy, dismounting hastily to keep her from -venturing too far. "Look over your shoulder, Netty," he urged, drawing -her back toward shore, "and then tell me what you think!"</p> - -<p>Explaining this gay, wide and wonderful world to the little Princess of -Anuther Planet, Randy found more fun than anything he had ever done or -imagined. Tense with expectation, he and Kabumpo watched as Planetty -gazed off to the right.</p> - -<p>"Why—'tis a high, high hill of red that glitters! Or what? What is -it?" Planetty whirled Thun round so he could see, too.</p> - -<p>"It's a castle, m'lass." Kabumpo swaggered down the beach, as if he -alone were responsible for all its splendor and magnificence. "There -you see the imperial palace of the Wizard of Ev, built from turret to -cellar of finest red glass studded with rubies, and there, this night, -we will be suitably entertained by Jinnicky himself."</p> - -<p>"The inside's even better than the outside," Randy whispered in -Planetty's ear, as she tapped out this astonishing news to the Thunder -Colt. "Come on, come on, it's not more than a mile, and we can go -straight along the edge of the sea shore. Say, weren't we lucky not to -run into Gludwig?" Pulling himself up on Kabumpo's back, Randy spoke -the words softly. "It would have been too bad to have the first person -outside of ourselves that Planetty met turn out a villain. I believe -that sign WAS a joke."</p> - -<p>"Well, everything seems all right so far," admitted the Elegant -Elephant guardedly. "But keep your eyes open, my boy—keep your eyes -open. Is that a welcome committee marching along the beach, or is it an -army?"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus73.jpg" width="500" height="276" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"They're still too far away to tell," answered Randy. "Looks to me like -all Jinnicky's blacks; I can see their baggy red trousers and turbans."</p> - -<p>"Yes, but what's that gleaming in the sunlight?" demanded Kabumpo, -curling up his trunk uneasily.</p> - -<p>"Only their scimiters," Randy said, standing up to have a better -view. "Each man is carrying a scimiter over his shoulder, but that's -perfectly all right, they're probably parading for our benefit."</p> - -<p>"Mm-mm! Sometimes things are not what they scim-iter!" sniffed Kabumpo, -snapping his eyes suspiciously. But Randy, paying no attention to -the Elegant Elephant's remark, was feeling round in the net bags -for Chillywalla's band box, and next moment the lively strains of a -military march filled the air.</p> - -<p>Swinging along in time to the music, Kabumpo peered sharply at the -oncoming host for signs of Alibabble, or Ginger, the slave of the -bell, or some of Jinnicky's other old and trusted counselors. But in -all that great throng there was no one familiar face, and because he -was beginning to feel more than a bit worried, Kabumpo lifted his feet -higher and higher. "Everything looks black, very black," he muttered -dubiously.</p> - -<p>"Why not?" cried Randy, waving his arms like a bandmaster. "They're all -as black as the ace of spades. Mind you, Planetty, it takes all these -black men to take care of Jinnicky and his castle."</p> - -<p>"And will they take care of us?" Planetty eyed the marchers with -positive amazement and alarm. "So many," she murmured in a hushed -voice, "so black. I thought everyone down here would be like you and -Bumpo."</p> - -<p>"My, no," Randy told her complacently. "Everyone is liable to be -different. I believe I'll toss out some of Chillywalla's boxes. -Visitors should come bearing presents, you know!"</p> - -<p>Hastily Randy began pulling out boxes of candy, boxes of cigarettes, -beads, cigars and whole suits of clothing to dazzle Jinnicky's -subjects. But when the leader of the procession came within ten feet of -the travelers he threw back his head and emitted such a blood-curdling -howl, Randy's hair rose on his head, and as the rest of the blacks, -brandishing scimiters and yelling threats and imprecations, came -leaping toward them, the desperate young King began hurling down boxes -as if they were bombs. He caught the Headman on the chin with the -bandbox, but while it stopped the music it did not stop the gigantic -Evian from slashing at Thun. As his scimiter fell, Kabumpo gave a -trumpet that felled the whole front rank of the enemy, and snatching up -the villain in his trunk, he hurled him back among his men.</p> - -<p>"Is this—is this taking care of us?" shuddered Planetty, clasping her -arms round the neck of the plunging Thunder Colt.</p> - -<p>"No, no! My goodness, NO! Is Thun hurt? Quick, Kabumpo!" screamed Randy -as a second scimiter slashed down on Thun's flank. Then he managed -to breathe again, for the razor-sharp weapon glanced harmlessly off -the metal coat of Planetty's coal black charger. The wielder of the -scimiter, however, did not escape so easily, for a hot blast from -Thun's nostrils sent him reeling backward.</p> - -<p>"That's it! Give it to them! Give it to them!" shouted Randy, -forgetting in his excitement that Thun could not hear, and he himself -hurled Chillywalla's boxes hard and viciously and one after the other. -As for Kabumpo, every time he raised his trunk there was a black man in -it, and as fast as they came he slung them over his shoulder.</p> - -<p>But it was Planetty who really turned the tide of battle. While Randy, -who had exhausted his supply of boxes, was digging desperately in -Kabumpo's pockets for some more missiles, he heard a perfect chorus of -terrified screeches. Popping up with an umbrella and an alarm clock, -he saw the Princess of Anuther Planet standing erect on the galloping -colt's back, calmly and precisely casting her staff at the foe. Each -time the staff struck, the victim, in whatever attitude he happened to -be, was frozen into a motionless metal figure. After each stroke the -staff returned to Planetty's hand.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus74.jpg" width="264" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Yah, yah, mah—MASTER!" wailed the frantic blacks who were still able -to move, and tumbling over one another in their effort to escape, they -fled wildly back to the Red Castle, leaving behind sixty of their -vanquished brethren.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus75.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"You—you—YOU'LL be sorry for this!" shouted the Headman, tearing off -his turban and waving it as he ran.</p> - -<p>"So will you!" bellowed Kabumpo fiercely. "Just wait till Jinnicky -hears about this! How dare you treat his visitors in this violent -wicked fashion?"</p> - -<p>"Jinnicky! Jinnicky!" jeered the Headman as Planetty aimed her staff -threateningly at his back. "Jinnicky is at the bottom of the sea!"</p> - -<p>"Mm—Mnnn! Mnmph! I knew it, I knew it!" groaned the Elegant Elephant -as the Headman reached the palace and scittered wildly up the glass -steps. "I knew something was wrong the moment I saw those scimiters."</p> - -<p>"Jinnicky gone! Jinnicky at the bottom of the sea? Why, I just can't -believe it!" Randy, glancing over his shoulder at the tumbling -Nonestic, looked almost ready to cry. Then putting back his shoulders, -he declared fiercely, "Well, I'M not going off and leave this old -pirate in Jinnicky's castle, are you? It must be Gludwig's doing—all -this! Let's go inside and throw him out of there! We have lots of help -now. Thun's a regular flame thrower and Planetty's worth a whole army, -and best of all nothing can hurt them. Why didn't you tell me you had -a magic staff?" Randy looked admiringly down at the resolute little -Princess at his side. "Why, with that staff we can conquer anybody."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus76.jpg" width="301" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Is that what you call the magic?" Planetty regarded her staff with new -interest.</p> - -<p>"It certainly is!" panted Kabumpo, fanning himself with a handy palm -leaf. "And we're mighty sorry to have gotten you into all this danger -and trouble, my dear. Looks as if we had a war on our hands instead of -a pleasant vacation."</p> - -<p>"Oh, that! It is nothing, nothing!" Planetty shrugged her shoulders -eloquently. "On our planet we too have the bad beasts and Nuthers, and -when they try to hit or bite us, we just subdue them with our voral -staffs."</p> - -<p>"Mmmn—mn! So I see." Kabumpo, still fanning himself, looked -thoughtfully at Gludwig's petrified warriors. "There must be a goodly -bit of statuary on your planet, m'lass?"</p> - -<p>"Very many," answered Planetty soberly, polishing her staff on the end -of her cape. With a slight shudder the Elegant Elephant turned from the -fallen slaves, resolving then and there never to offend this pretty but -powerful little metal maiden.</p> - -<p>"Well, have the scoundrels dispersed and gone for good?" inquired Thun, -sending up his question in a cloud of black smoke. Restively pawing -the ground, the Thunder Colt looked from one to the other waiting for -someone to enlighten him.</p> - -<p>"Tell him they've gone, but for nobody's good," wheezed Kabumpo, who -was still out of breath from the violence of the combat. "Tell him -Gludwig the Glubrious has destroyed the Wizard of Ev and that we are -now going into the castle to continue the battle."</p> - -<p>"But where shall we start?" sighed Randy, staring despondently up at -the gay red palace where he and Kabumpo had been so royally entertained -on their last visit.</p> - -<p>"We'll start at the bottom of these steps," announced Kabumpo grimly, -"and mount on up to the top. Then we'll burst into the presence of this -wretched wart and fling him out of the window."</p> - -<p>"But that won't help Jinnicky if he's at the bottom of the sea," -mourned Randy, trying to smile at Planetty, who was busily tapping off -instructions to Thun.</p> - -<p>"Hah! but don't forget, Jinnicky's a wizard," sniffed Kabumpo, pulling -in his belt a few inches, "and nobody can keep a good wizard down. -Besides," Kabumpo dragged his robe a bit to the left and straightened -his head-piece, "once inside that castle, we can use some of the Red -Jinn's own magic to help him."</p> - -<p>"Magic? Why, of course, I'd forgotten about that." Randy's face cleared -and brightened and seeing Planetty and Thun so eager and unafraid -beside him, he girded on his sword and standing upright on Kabumpo's -back, gave the signal to start. As they trod up the hundred red glass -steps they could hear windows and doors slamming, the patter of running -feet and the tinkle of the hundred glass chimes in the tower. But step -by step, and without a pause, Thun and Kabumpo mounted to the top.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus77.jpg" width="408" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Beware! Beware, Gludwig the Glubrious! Here march Kabumpty and Thun, -Slandy and Planetty, Princess of Anuther Planet. Friends, equals and -warriors!"</p> - -<p>The Thunder Colt's flaming message, floating like a battle emblem in -the air, alarmed the wicked occupant of Jinnicky's castle even more -than the invaders themselves. But still confident of his power to -vanquish all comers, he waited in evil anticipation for the moment when -they would force their way into his presence. Did they imagine because -they had frightened a company of foolish slaves they could frighten him?</p> - -<p>"Ha, ha!" Crouched on the Red Jinn's throne and laughing mirthlessly, -Gludwig rubbed his long hands up and down his skinny knees.</p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_13" id="CHAPTER_13"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus78.jpg" width="500" height="320" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 13<br /> - -<small>Gludwig the Glubrious</small></h2> - - -<p>"Pss-sst! Wait! Hold on a minute!" As they reached the huge double -doors of the red castle, Randy tugged violently at Kabumpo's left -ear, for the Elegant Elephant, all humped together, was preparing to -bump through. "Let Thun break down the door," directed the young King -firmly. "Thun is of metal and the glass will not cut him; then, as soon -as there is an opening we can follow. Will you tell him, Planetty?" -Randy looked fondly down at the earnest little Princess. "And as soon -as we are inside," he went on hurriedly, "fling your staff at the first -person I point out to you."</p> - -<p>"That I will," promised Planetty with a brief nod, and giving Thun his -orders, she galloped the Thunder Colt straight at the glass doors. With -a crash like the fall of a hundred trays of dishes, the glass doors -shivered to bits. Rushing through the flying splinters, Kabumpo and -Thun raced together into the palace.</p> - -<p>How well Randy remembered this cozy throne room, its transparent, -red glass pillars and floors, its gay, red lacquered furniture, its -tinkling curtains of strung rubies, and the long line of enormous red -vases leading up to the throne. But instead of the jolly little Jinn, -encased in his own shining jar, a long, lank black man in a red wig -lounged on the seat of state. He was smoking a tenuous red pipe, and, -as Kabumpo and Thun came to an abrupt halt before him, he blinked -wickedly out from under his bushy red lashes. Besides the red-wigged -imposter Randy noted with some relief, there was not another soul in -sight.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus79.jpg" width="483" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Well," demanded Gludwig, insolently, "what do you hope to accomplish -by this unwarranted intrusion?" Taking his pipe out of his mouth, he -blew a cloud of villainous black smoke into the faces of his visitors. -So thick and sulphurous were the fumes, Randy and Kabumpo were -rendered speechless. While they choked and spluttered, Planetty, who -did not seem aware of the smoke at all, gazed in wide-eyed delight -around her. So THIS was a castle!</p> - -<p>"How nite, how netiful!" Lost in wonder and admiration, the little -Princess forgot all about the stern purpose of their visit.</p> - -<p>"Off that throne! Off that throne, you wart!" rasped Kabumpo, clearing -his throat with an ear-splitting trumpet. "What have you done with -Jinnicky? You're no more a wizard than I am! You're as false and -crooked as your wig! Down with him! Down with him, Randy! Let him -repent of his wickedness in uttermost disgrace and debasement!"</p> - -<p>"So my downfall is the little plan?" Speaking calmly, but trembling -with fury at Kabumpo's taunting speech, Gludwig rose. At the same -instant Randy, recovering his breath, called desperately.</p> - -<p>"Now, Planetty, your staff! Throw it straight at him. Oh, quickly!"</p> - -<p>Thun's hot breath was already singeing Gludwig's ankles, and, leaping -over the throne, he crouched down like a great black panther behind it.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus80.jpg" width="278" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Ha, ha!" he shouted again. "My downfall and debasement is it? Well, -try a bit of downfalling and debasement yourselves."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus81.jpg" width="463" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>Just as Planetty, taking careful aim, hurled her gleaming staff, -Gludwig pulled a tremendous lever in the wall beside him. Instantly the -floor on the other side of the throne dropped down, slanting Kabumpo, -Thun and both riders into the dark, damp and long-unused cellar of the -castle.</p> - -<p>"A trap door," raged the Elegant Elephant, coming down like a carload -of bricks.</p> - -<p>"A trap floor, you mean," gasped Randy, picking himself up with a -painful grimace, for the jolt had sent him flying off the elephant. -Thun had retained his balance, and neither he nor Planetty seemed to -mind the force of their landing. As they gazed angrily upward, the -floor of the throne room swung noiselessly back into place, leaving -the four prisoners to contemplate the heavy glass beams and panels of -its under side.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus82.jpg" width="500" height="335" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"So that was the downfall, and this is debasement," grunted Kabumpo, -sitting down furiously on an overturned wash-tub. "Great Grump, I've -never been so humiliated in my life. Don't cry, Planetty," he begged -gruffly, "we'll have you out of here in a pig's whistle."</p> - -<p>"It's not that, Bumpo, dear." Planetty buried her face in Thun's cloudy -mane and sobbed bitterly. "It's my staff! It did not return after -I flung it at the red-wigged one, and without it I have nothing, -NOTHING!"</p> - -<p>"Good Gollopers!" Randy clapped his hand to his forehead as he realized -the awful significance of Planetty's disclosure. "The floor tilted -too quickly for it to return, and OH, KABUMPO!" he wailed, almost -forgetting he was a King and Warrior. "If Gludwig has that staff, what -can we do? He can come down here and petrify us any time he wants."</p> - -<p>"We'll hide!" gulped Kabumpo, bounding off the wash-tub. With furious -concentration his small eyes roved round and round their gloomy prison.</p> - -<p>"But you're so big," declared Randy, running over to comfort Planetty.</p> - -<p>"I'll hide anyway!" said Kabumpo, who had no intention of spending the -rest of his life as an iron elephant, nor of adorning the palace of -Gludwig the Glubrious as the mere image of himself.</p> - - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_14" id="CHAPTER_14"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus83.jpg" width="500" height="293" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 14<br /> - -<small>The Slave of the Magic Dinner Bell</small></h2> - - -<p>How thankful Randy and Kabumpo were now for the Thunder Colt's fiery -breath. Otherwise they would have been in almost complete darkness, -as scarcely any light at all trickled down through the dark red glass -of the cellar windows. And there was small danger of his setting -Jinnicky's castle on fire, for the basement, like the rest of the -palace, was constructed of thick plates of solid glass. But here below, -the glass was not bright and sparkling as it was above stairs. Cobwebs -clung to the glass beams, dust powdered the floors, and round the walls -in boxes and barrels stood the old or worn out magic appliances of -the Red Jinn. There was no furnace in the cellar, for the castle was -warmed in winter by a magic process of Jinnicky's own invention; and -there were no doors, not even a closet or cupboard where any of them -could hide. With Thun stepping ahead to act as a torch, the others -marched anxiously round the great gloomy vault-like apartment.</p> - -<p>"No place to hide, no provisions, nothing to eat or drink. NOTHING!" -exclaimed the Elegant Elephant, sinking down on the wash-tub. "That is, -nothing to do but wait for destruction," he concluded bitterly.</p> - -<p>"Well, we're not destroyed yet!" declared Randy, sticking out his -chin. "Everything seems quiet above. Maybe Gludwig is not going to use -Planetty's staff till morning."</p> - -<p>With a discouraged sniff Kabumpo began poking in the boxes behind him. -Finding one full of excelsior, he started to stuff the choking material -into his mouth with his trunk. Randy was sure the excelsior would -disagree with him, but when Kabumpo was in such a mood, it was quite -useless to argue with him; so, beckoning for Thun to light the way, he -and Planetty set out on a second tour of investigation.</p> - -<p>Randy paused dubiously before a collection of squat bottles and jugs. -He was convinced they contained liquids or vapors powerful enough -to help them, but the directions on the labels were all in some -strange magician's code and Randy hesitated to open even one of the -magic bottles. Experience had taught him that a wizard's wares were -dangerous, and he himself had seen the Red Jinn subdue whole armies -by releasing incense from a blue jug. So, selecting two pocket-size -jars, to use only in case everything else failed, Randy moved on to -the other side of the cellar. Here on top of a chest he discovered a -small red hand-bag. Instead of the usual fastenings, two real hands -formed the clasp, and when Randy opened the bag it quickly jerked out -of his grasp and began springing all over the cellar on its hands, -pouncing gleefully on papers and bottles and stuffing them into its -side pockets. It did look so comical, Planetty burst into a peal of -merriment. Even Randy could not keep back a grin. It was a relief to -see the little Princess more like herself again, for since the loss of -her voral staff she had been unnaturally quiet and sad.</p> - -<p>"Wait, I'll catch it for you," offered Randy, dismissing for a moment -all thought of the dreadful danger they were in. "It must be one of -Jinnicky's inventions. Look, Kabumpo, a bag that really packs itself."</p> - -<p>"Watch out it doesn't pinch you!" warned Kabumpo morosely. He -had already begun to regret the excelsior and was rumbling with -indigestion. "I was never one to hold with hand luggage, myself."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus84.jpg" width="500" height="305" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Oh, yes you were!" crowed Randy, falling on the bag as if it had been -a football and coming up triumphantly with it clutched to his middle. -"You use your trunk for a hand, Kabumpo, and doesn't that make it hand -luggage? Hey, hey, hurray! Never thought I'd make a joke in this dismal -place!"</p> - -<p>"It's a pretty dismal joke, if you ask me." The Elegant Elephant heaved -himself stiffly off the wash-tub. "Keep it away from me!" he warned -crossly, as Randy, paying no attention to the thumps of the hand-bag, -managed to get it shut again. As soon as it was closed the bag -subsided and seemed absolutely unalive. "Here!" puffed Randy, holding -it out to Planetty. "This bag will pack itself, madam, and you can use -it every time you go on a journey."</p> - -<p>"Can I? How nite!" Planetty beamed at her young companion.</p> - -<p>"Well, who's going on a journey?" inquired Kabumpo sarcastically, -walking up and down to relieve his indigestion. "We'll probably spend -the rest of our unnatural lives in this abominable basement. Say -something, can't you?" he shouted, glaring at poor Thun. "I can hardly -see where I'm going." As fast as Planetty translated this rude speech, -the Thunder Colt sent up his answer.</p> - -<p>"If I said all the words I am thinking," puffed Thun temperishly, -"this room would be very red bright, Mister Kabumpty, very red bright -indeed." The Thunder Colt's speech and his further remarks made Randy -and Planetty laugh again.</p> - -<p>"Let's see what else we can find," proposed the young King. In spite of -Kabumpo's gloomy predictions, he was feeling more hopeful. "Maybe this -time we'll turn up something we can really use."</p> - -<p>"Oh, maybe yes, maybe yes!" trilled Planetty, slipping swiftly as -quicksilver after Randy. Passing by some dusty apparatus and an old -spinning wheel, they discovered a huge red drum behind a pile of old -trunks. The sticks were stuck through a cord in the side and it was so -heavy that the two between them could hardly carry it. But giggling and -puffing they dragged it into the center of the cellar and dropped it -down before Kabumpo.</p> - -<p>"See what we have now!" Dusting off his clothes, Randy surveyed it -proudly.</p> - -<p>"Humph! A DRUM!" The Elegant Elephant moved his ears forward and then -back. "Well, what grumpy use is a drum? Am I in a parade? Do you expect -me to beat it?"</p> - -<p>"Beat the drum?" Planetty looked surprised and shocked. "Is that for -what a drum is for, Bumpo, dear?"</p> - -<p>"Well, yes, in a way." A bit ashamed of himself, Kabumpo drew out one -of the sticks. "It goes like this," he said, raising the drumstick high -in his trunk.</p> - -<p>"Oh no! Kabumpo, NO! Don't do that or you'll have Gludwig down here! It -would make too much noise."</p> - -<p>"What if it does?" Kabumpo shrugged his great shoulders. "We may as -well perish now as tomorrow. I'm perishing of hunger anyway."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus85.jpg" width="280" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>Before Randy could interfere, he brought the drumstick down with a -thump that split the taut surface of the drum from edge to edge. -The loud rip and BONG made the rafters ring, and scarcely had they -recovered from that shock before a small black boy in an enormous -turban sprang out of the drum itself and began sobbing and spluttering -and hugging Kabumpo as if he never would let him go.</p> - -<p>"Good Gillikens! It's Ginger!" panted Randy, as Planetty caught him -anxiously by the sleeve. "It's the slave of the magic dinner bell. He -can bring us dinners and whatever one wants when Jinnicky rings for -him. Hi—who shut you up in that drum, boy?"</p> - -<p>"That big old Red Wig," sniffed Ginger, drying his tears on Kabumpo's -robe. "Oh, how can I ever thank you, Mister Elephant so Elegant! -I remember you! I remember him!" The bell boy jerked his thumb -delightedly at Randy. "And many times I thank you—fifty times eleven, -I thank you. You see, if I am shut up in a drum, it is impossible for -me to answer the Master's ring if he needs me. And he needs me now, I -know it, I know it!"</p> - -<p>"But how can he call you unless he has the dinner bell?" asked Randy, -edging closer. "Did Jinnicky take the bell with him when—when—" To -save himself, Randy could not finish the dismal sentence.</p> - -<p>"When Gludwig pushed him into the sea, you mean?" Ginger's brown face -puckered up again, but, controlling his sobs with a great effort, he -sat down on the edge of the drum and told them the whole story of -Jinnicky's mischance and misfortunes.</p> - -<p>"The Master, as you know," explained Ginger, his eyes rolling sideways -as he caught sight of Planetty and Thun, whose like he had never seen -in his entire magic existence, "the Master is always kind and jolly and -unsuspecting. This Gludwig was the manager of our ruby mines and one of -Jinnicky's most trusted officers. But all the time, this viper, this -snake, this villainous black snake—" Ginger clenched his fists and -kicked his heels angrily against the drum—"was planning to steal our -Red Jinn's throne and magic, in addition to his own splendid mansion -and fortune. One evening, seven moons ago, having trained his miners -into an army of rebellion, Gludwig marched upon our castle and drove -everybody out."</p> - -<p>"Everybody?" The Elegant Elephant, picking Ginger up in his trunk, -looked earnestly into his face.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus86.jpg" width="388" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Every EV body!" repeated the little bell boy, wagging his turban -sorrowfully. "Alibabble, the Grand Advizier, all the members of the -court and household were sent to the mines under the cruel rule of -Glubdo, Gludwig's brother, and they are there now, working without -rest, hope or reward. He marched the Master to the head of the highest -cliff and pushed him violently into the sea with his OWN hands!"</p> - -<p>Ginger began to tremble with grief and anger at the memory of it all. -"He ordered the bandsmen to seal me up in this drum, knowing a drum is -the only place from which I cannot escape, and hoping I would shrivel -up and perish. But I—" asserted the little black triumphantly—"I am -the best part of Jinnicky's magic, so he couldn't destroy me." A quick -grin overspread Ginger's face. "And he could not destroy my Master -either. Of that I am sure, and now that the elephant so elegant has let -me out—NOW—"</p> - -<p>"Now what?" breathed Randy, almost afraid Ginger was not going to -tell him. "You see, Ginger, we came to visit the Red Jinn and were -immediately captured and dumped down here ourselves. So how can we get -out? And what can we do?"</p> - -<p>"I will think of something," promised the bell boy. Wriggling out of -Kabumpo's trunk, he scurried across the cellar and disappeared beneath -an overturned wheelbarrow.</p> - -<p>"So! He will think of something," sniffed Kabumpo, trying not to make -it sound too sarcastic. "Well, of course, that settles it. And while he -is thinking, I intend to take a nap. I'm completely worn out with all -these vile plots and villainies."</p> - -<p>"I too will ret," decided Planetty, reaching over to pat the Thunder -Colt. The strange excitements of the day had wearied the little -Princess, and this last story of Ginger's had still further puzzled and -distressed her.</p> - -<p>"I never thought when I brought you here you'd have to sleep in a place -like this," groaned Randy, glancing ruefully round the dingy basement.</p> - -<p>"Oh, it's not so bad," smiled the little Princess. Slipping off her -cape, she swung it casually between two grimy pillars, and with the -hand-bag tucked under her arm, climbed contentedly into her silver bed. -"Good net, Randy and Bumpo, dear!" she called softly. "I believe I -shall ret for a long, long time."</p> - -<p>"Now what does she mean by that?" worried the young King, as the -Princess blew them each a wistful kiss. "Something's wrong, Kabumpo, I -feel it! And look there at Thun! Why is he acting so strangely? Almost -as if he could not see."</p> - -<p>"Look at him! Look at him!" wailed the Elegant Elephant. "Where is he? -How can I? It's dark as thunder in here now! Great Grump, Randy, I -can't see you, him or anything at all."</p> - -<p>Stumbling and tripping, he somehow crossed the cellar to the spot where -he remembered Thun had been. Then, as his trunk struck against hard -cold metal, he recoiled in horror.</p> - -<p>"He's OUT!" moaned the Elegant Elephant hoarsely. "He's not even -breathing. Why, he's cold and stiff as a stone. Oh, Good Grump, the -colt saved my life and now what can I do for him? What'll we do, -Randy? I say, what'll we DO?"</p> - -<p>Randy had no answer at all, for, moved by a dreadful foreboding, he -leaned down to touch the face of the little Princess of Anuther Planet, -only to find it still and cold. No sparkling light radiated from -Planetty now as, quiet and motionless as a statue, she lay wrapped in -her silver nets.</p> - -<p>"Ginger, where are you? Ginger, come help us!" Randy screamed -desperately. Scrambling out from under the barrow, the startled bell -boy reached Randy's side in a split second, for Ginger could see as -well in the dark as in the daytime.</p> - -<p>"Did—Gludwig—do—this?" he panted, his eyes rolling wildly from -Planetty to the frozen Thunder Colt.</p> - -<p>"No, no, they are far from their own country and need the powerful -Vanadium springs," groaned Kabumpo, putting out his trunk to touch the -little Princess. "They cannot exist down here. And with Jinnicky gone, -who's to help them?" His tears fell thick and fast on Planetty's silver -tresses.</p> - -<p>"Then why do we stay here?" shuddered Ginger, tugging at Randy's cloak -and Kabumpo's robe. "Why do we stay?"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus87.jpg" width="500" height="332" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>As if to answer Ginger's mournful cry, there was a long whistling -rustle in the air, and next moment Randy, Ginger, Kabumpo and the -Princess of Anuther Planet were wafted like feathers through the night, -passing easily as mist through the narrow glass windows, up over the -castle itself and out over the silvery moonlit sea.</p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_15" id="CHAPTER_15"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus88.jpg" width="500" height="343" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 15<br /> - -<small>Nonagon Island</small></h2> - - -<p>The same afternoon the four travelers arrived at the Red Jinn's castle, -a lonely fisherman in an odd nine-sided dory pulled out from the -Nonagon Isle. This strange small nine-sided island lies about ninety -leagues from the mainland of Ev. Flat, barren and rocky, it affords but -a meager living to the nine fishermen who are its sole inhabitants. -Each keeps strictly to his own side of the island, subsisting frugally -on fish and the few poor vegetables he can grow in his rocky little -garden. Hard and unfriendly as their island itself, the nine Nonagons -go their own ways, exchanging brief nods on the rare occasions when -they meet one another.</p> - -<p>The habit of silence had so grown upon Bloff, the fisherman in the -nine-sided dory, he did not even talk to the cat who shared his rough -dwelling and accompanied him on all of his fishing trips. And so -accustomed was poor Nina to her gruff and taciturn master that she -expected nothing from him but an occasional kick or fish head. Never -sure which would be forthcoming, she kept her green eyes watchfully -upon him at all times. This afternoon she was certain it would be a -fish head, and as Bloff reached the spot where he had set his nets her -tail began to wave gently in pleasant anticipation.</p> - -<p>Bloff himself seemed a little less grim, for the net seemed quite -heavy, and sure he had made a good haul, he began pulling on the lines. -But when his net came wet and dripping over the side of the boat, he -gave a grunt of anger. In it were only three small fish and an immense -red jug. His first impulse was to toss the jug back into the sea, but -reflecting grumpily that he could use it to salt down fish for the -winter, he rolled it into the bottom of the boat and, kicking the -disappointed cat out of the way, rowed rapidly back to the island.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus89.jpg" width="500" height="293" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>Stamping into his nine-sided shack with the net over his shoulder, -Bloff banged the jug down on the hearth, cleaned and cut up the fish -and popped them into a pot hung on a crane over the fire. Then, -lighting his one poor lamp, he sat sullenly down to wait for his -supper. The fish heads he flung cruelly into the hot ashes, and -whenever he dozed for a moment Nina tried to pull one out with her paw, -for she knew full well she could get nothing else to eat.</p> - -<p>For perhaps an hour there was not a sound in the fisherman's hut except -the crackling of the drift-wood in the grate and the hoarse breathing -of the fisherman himself. Then suddenly Nina, who had almost succeeded -in dragging her supper from the flames, gave a frightened backward -leap.</p> - -<p>"Oh, my, mercy me! Mercy, me!" came a muffled but merry voice. -"Where—but where am I now?"</p> - -<p>As Nina and her master turned startled eyes toward the red jug, for the -voice was undoubtedly coming from the jug, the lid slowly lifted and a -round jolly face peered out at them. What he saw was so discouraging, -Jinnicky—for of course it was Jinnicky—dropped back out of sight. -The magic fluid with which he had sealed himself in the jug before -Gludwig hurled him into the sea had been melted by the warmth of the -fisherman's fire, and the same warmth had restored the little Red Jinn -to his usual vigor and liveliness. In a sort of protective stupor he -had managed to survive the long months at the bottom of the ocean. A -quick thinker at all times, Jinnicky rapidly regained his senses and -realized at once what had happened. A fortunate tide had carried him -into this fisherman's net and at last he was on dry land again; and NOW -to find and face the villain who had usurped his throne and castle.</p> - -<p>"But why—why—" groaned the little Jinn dolefully, "with all the -fishermen in the Nonestic Ocean did I have to be pulled out by this -long-jawed fellow?"</p> - -<p>Venturing another look, and at the same time thrusting his arms and -legs out of their proper apertures in the jug, he saw that Bloff had -seized an oar and seemed about ready to whack it down on his head.</p> - -<p>"Non, non, NON! My good fellow!" puffed Jinnicky, fixing his rescuer -with his bright glassy eye. "Put up your oar. This is no battle, and -I have much to say that will interest you, but first of all I want -to thank you for pulling me out of the ocean. Heartily! Heartily! A -suitable reward will be sent you as soon as I get back—er—get back my -castle."</p> - -<p>To this polite speech Bloff paid no attention whatsoever, but Nina, -liking the pleasant voice of this curious visitor, began rubbing -herself against his ankles. "I am the Red Jinn of Ev!" announced the -little Wizard, keeping a wary eye on the oar. "At present banished -from my castle by the treachery of a trusted officer. In fact," -Jinnicky tapped himself smartly on the jug, "this villain actually took -everything I had and tossed me into the sea."</p> - -<p>"What's wrong with the sea?" inquired the fisherman hoarsely. Never -having seen anyone in his whole life but the eight other Nonagon -Islanders, Bloff did not really believe what he saw now. "I'm -asleep and having a nightmare," he concluded, grasping the oar more -determinedly still. And we can hardly blame him, for a fellow whose -body is a huge red vase into which he can draw his arms, legs and head, -at will, is pretty hard for anyone to believe. Realizing he was getting -nowhere and that his grim and dour rescuer cared nothing about his -troubles, past or present, Jinnicky decided to try another line.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus90.jpg" width="483" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Perhaps you could tell me the name of this place and your own name?" -he murmured politely.</p> - -<p>"I am Bloff, my cat is Nina, and this is the Nonagon Island," announced -the fisherman, frowning at the little Wizard.</p> - -<p>"Ah, a nine-sided island!" The Red Jinn stretched his arms and hopped -up and down to get the kinks out of his legs. "And I see you have a -nine-sided cottage and a cat with nine lives."</p> - -<p>Picking up poor skinny Nina, who was purring for the first time in her -life, Jinnicky stroked her back thoughtfully as he counted the nine -pieces of furniture in the rude hut, noted that it was nine o'clock and -the ninth of May. "But is NINE my lucky number?" he pondered wearily. -Could this churlish fisherman ever be persuaded to sail him back to the -mainland? Looking at Bloff out of the side of his eye, he very much -doubted it. Though Bloff had put down the oar, his manner was anything -but cordial.</p> - -<p>"Are there any other people on the island?" asked Jinnicky, more to -keep up the conversation than because he really wanted to know.</p> - -<p>At his question Bloff put back his head and in a long singsong voice -drawled, "Bluff, Bliff, Bleef, Blaff, Bloff, Blaaf, Bleof and Bluof!"</p> - -<p>"Oh, my! Mercy me!" At each name Jinnicky gave a little jump, and as -Bloff came to the end of the list he seated himself gingerly on the -edge of the bench and stared into the fire. What could he hope from -such people? Then suddenly in the midst of his worries he became aware -of the fish chowder bubbling cozily on the crane and realized at the -same instant his enormous and devouring hunger. After all, you know he -had not eaten for seven months.</p> - -<p>"Ah!" he beamed, extending both arms toward his host, "DINNER!"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus91.jpg" width="500" height="330" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"MY dinner." The two words were spoken so gruffly, Jinnicky's heart -fell with a loud clunk into his boots. Why, this was unbelievable! He, -Jinnicky, the one and only Wizard of Ev, to be flouted and insulted -by a miserable fisherman. Well, at least he could leave the fellow's -miserable hut and try his luck with the other Islanders. Reflecting -sadly that a wizard without his magic is no better off than any other -man, the Red Jinn slid off the bench and started for the door, trying -to walk in a calm and dignified manner. But half-way there a sharp -grunt brought him up short.</p> - -<p>"Aho, no you don't," rasped Bloff, catching up with him in two strides. -"Where do you think you're going? STOP! I need that jug to salt my -fish. Here, give it to me."</p> - -<p>"Why, you—you miserable mollusk—don't you dare touch me!" panted the -Red Jinn, trying to beat off the fisherman with his puny hands. "This -jug—is—an—important—part of me. Without my jug I cannot live at -all."</p> - -<p>"And do you think I care for that?" sneered Bloff. "You're just an old -lobster in a pot to me. Here, give me that jug!"</p> - -<p>Seizing Jinnicky by both arms, Bloff tried to shake him out of the jug. -Nina, enraged at such barbarous treatment of the only one who had ever -been kind to her, proved an unexpected ally. Flying at the fisherman, -she began to scratch and claw his face and hands so successfully -Bloff had to drop Jinnicky to grab the cat. The force of the drop -sent the Red Jinn rolling over and over, dislodging a small silver -bell from a hidden pocket in his sleeve. As the bell fell tinkling -to the flagstones, Jinnicky gave a bounce of relief. His magic dinner -bell, and up his sleeve all the time! How had he ever forgotten it? -Oh, now—now—if Ginger had not been destroyed by Gludwig, and just -answered the bell, everything would be different. And Ginger DID answer -the bell, and everything WAS different! My, yes. So different, Bloff -threw the cat at Jinnicky and simply raced for the door. No wonder, -in his small nine-sided shack were now an elephant carrying a silvery -Princess in his trunk, a black boy in a tall turban and a white boy in -a sparkling crown. With one more terrified glance, Bloff took to his -heels and never stopped running till he was waist high in the Nonestic -Ocean.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus92.jpg" width="500" height="297" alt=""/> -</div> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_16" id="CHAPTER_16"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus93.jpg" width="500" height="329" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 16<br /> - -<small>All Together at Last</small></h2> - - -<p>"KABUMPO! Kabumpo! Randy! Oh, my mercy me!" Rolling to his feet, -Jinnicky tottered over to the hearth and, encountering Ginger half-way -there, clasped his faithful Bell Boy to his shiny glass bosom. "As soon -as that bell rang I knew everything was going to be better," he puffed. -"And I rather expected Ginger, but YOU! Why, my dear old Gaboscis, -fancy meeting YOU here!"</p> - -<p>"But I don't fancy it at all," grunted Kabumpo, placing the sleeping -Princess gently down on the fisherman's bench and glancing disgustedly -round the mean little hut. "How in Ev did you ever happen to be in -such a place, how did you get here and where in Oz are we, anyway?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, Jinnicky, are you really all right?" Grasping the little Wizard by -both arms, Randy examined him carefully from top to toe. "Kabumpo and I -came to see you, and instead of you, there was Gludwig in your castle. -He told us you were at the bottom of the sea, and after first trying to -destroy us with his army, he flung us into the castle basement. There -we found Ginger sealed up in a big drum and we let him out, and after -awhile, in a way I cannot figure out at all, we find ourselves here. -How did it happen?"</p> - -<p>"Why, Ginger brought you, of course." Releasing the little black boy -from his tight embrace, Jinnicky planted a huge kiss on his ebony -forehead, and with a flashing grin the slave of the bell vanished into -space. "Don't worry! He's always going, but he'll come back any time -I ring the bell. You must all have been touching Ginger when the bell -rang, so naturally when Ginger answered the bell he brought you right -along."</p> - -<p>"Nothing natural about it," fumed Kabumpo, drawing his trunk wearily -across his forehead.</p> - -<p>"But you haven't told us how YOU got here," said Randy, bending over -Planetty to see that she had made the trip without coming to any harm.</p> - -<p>"And what is that, pray?" demanded the little Jinn, eyeing the sleeping -Princess with round astonished eyes. "Something you brought me for a -present? A pretty little idol you've stolen from some heathen temple? -My, mercy me! What a beauty it is! I'll mount it on a ruby pedestal and -worship it all the rest of my days!"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus94.jpg" width="500" height="339" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Oh, no, Jinnicky, no!" Randy's voice broke and he could not utter -another word, try as he would. In puzzled concern the Red Jinn turned -to Kabumpo.</p> - -<p>"She's not a present, but she's an idol all right—Randy's idol—and -he intends to spend the rest of his life worshiping her, if I read -the signals aright," said Kabumpo dryly. "There you see the Princess -of Anuther Planet, old boy, and up to an hour ago she was as live and -bright and happy as any of us."</p> - -<p>"But what happened to her? Oh, my, mercy me, another mystery!" Jinnicky -clasped his hands in genuine distress.</p> - -<p>"Well, you tell us what happened to you, and then we'll tell you what -happened to her and us," offered Kabumpo. "That is, if we don't die of -hunger first."</p> - -<p>"Hunger?" Jinnicky swallowed four times in rapid succession. "Oh, my, -mercy me and us! You do not even know the meaning of the word! I have -not eaten a bite for seven months! But, har, har, har! That is all -over now. With my magic dinner bell right at hand, why should anyone -be hungry? Four dinners and at once," beamed the Red Jinn, ringing it -smartly. "See, my dear, I've not even forgotten you." Jinnicky leaned -down to stroke Nina, who had hidden behind the hearth brush when so -many strangers came dropping into the hut. "This valiant Nonagon Puss -fought bravely in my defense and has thereby earned herself a place in -my heart and castle for all the rest of her nine natural lives."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus95.jpg" width="287" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"But first you must get back your castle," said Kabumpo as Jinnicky -began dancing up and down the room, the miserable cat hugged tightly in -his arms. Even Randy had to smile at that. No one could be around the -little Jinn and stay sorrowful, and worried as he was over Planetty and -Thun, the young King could not help feeling that now they were together -everything was going to turn out right. Some how and way Jinnicky would -help them.</p> - -<p>"Isn't this like old times?" he beamed, bustling around like a busy -host as Ginger, with four enormous trays balanced on his head, flashed -down, set an appetizing dinner before each of the company and melted -away like smoke up the chimney. For Nina, he had brought nine saucers -of cream and some minced chicken. For Kabumpo, a huge bowl of assorted -nuts and another bowl of cut raw vegetables, each bowl capable of -replenishing itself, so that there was enough for even an elephant. For -Randy and Jinnicky there were the finest of roast duck dinners. So, -forgetting their mean surroundings and Gludwig's wickedness, the three -Royal Wayfarers fell to and ate with an abandon and gusto that would -have astonished their own castle-holds and footmen. Nina, lapping up -her rich and plenteous viands, seemed to grow fat and content before -their very eyes. And while they dined, Jinnicky explained how he had -been tricked by Gludwig, pulled out of the sea by Bloff and then -nearly shaken out of his jar by the surly fisherman, who at the same -time had shaken out the bell and brought him assistance.</p> - -<p>"Where is he? Wait till I get my trunk on him," raged Kabumpo, glancing -sharply round the nine-sided shack. Jinnicky, on his part, when he -discovered how Gludwig had treated his friends and visitors, was no -less enraged and indignant.</p> - -<p>"Used my very own patented trap floor on you, did he? Hah! wait—I'll -fix him!" Beating his small hands angrily together, Jinnicky's eyes -burned with a bright red hatred.</p> - -<p>"Yes, we were floored, all right," admitted the Elegant Elephant, -pushing away his two bowls, for at last he had had enough, and while -Randy and the Red Jinn were finishing their suppers he told the whole -story of their journey through Oz and Ev and Ix, of their meeting with -Planetty and Thun and the sad fate that had overtaken these loyal -comrades in the Red Castle when they could no longer avail themselves -of their own Vanadium Springs.</p> - -<p>"Vanadium?" murmured the Red Jinn, resting his head in his chubby -hands. "I believe I could make a substitute for that. Why, in my -laboratory—"</p> - -<p>"Yes, but this isn't your laboratory," sighed Randy, "and how ever -are we to get off this nine-sided island if all the fishermen are as -hateful as Bloff?"</p> - -<p>"Har! har! har! Now that is the least of our troubles." Jinnicky waved -airily to the owner of the cottage whose glum face had just appeared in -the window. "Ginger shall carry us back, as easily as he carries the -trays! First I shall ring the dinner bell, then when Ginger appears, I -shall hang on to his coat; you, Randy, must hang on to me and Kabumpo, -bless his big heart, shall hang on to you, being careful to hold the -Princess of this Other Planet in his trunk. Oh, my, mercy me! I'd -almost forgotten the cat."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus96.jpg" width="500" height="287" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>Scooping up Nina, Jinnicky waited till the Elegant Elephant had lifted -Planetty in his trunk, then, taking the silver bell from his sleeve, he -gave it a cheerful tinkle.</p> - -<p>"Ho, this!" puffed the little Jinn, blowing a kiss to the glowering -fisherman—"this is the finest place to leave I've ever left in my -whole life. Oh, my, mercy me! You and us! Here's Ginger! Hold on, -everybody! We're OFF!"</p> - -<p>And they were, sailing along as smoothly behind the little slave of the -bell as if they weighed nothing at all, and leaving Bloff running in -frantic circles round his hut—for he was now more convinced than ever -that this was a nightmare or that, worse still, he had taken entire -leave of his wits and senses.</p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_17" id="CHAPTER_17"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus97.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 17<br /> - -<small>In the Red Jinn's Castle</small></h2> - - -<p>While Jinnicky and his friends had been having all these ups and -downs and hair-raising experiences, Gludwig had passed an exceedingly -pleasant and profitable evening. As his enemies had dropped into the -cellar of the castle, the silver staff of Planetty missing him by a -wide margin had fallen harmlessly at his feet. Gludwig's army had had -much to say of this terrible weapon, and picking it up, he turned it -gloatingly over and over in his hands. It is true that he had all of -Jinnicky's treasures and possessions, but in his whole seven months -in the castle he had not discovered a way to use any of the Red Jinn's -magic, nor been able to cast a single spell or transformation. This had -taken half the zest out of his victory. But here, he had a simple and -easily managed magic weapon—or had he?</p> - -<p>Frowning suddenly, Gludwig wondered whether it only worked for the -silver war maiden who had used it so disastrously against his men. -Well, he would quickly find that out. Stepping to the door, he whistled -for the huge hound that guarded the outer passageway. As it came -bounding to his side he hurled the silver staff at its head. As the -staff struck, the hound's progress was instantly arrested and instead -of a live dog, he had a life-sized bronze with a look in the eyes that -made even Gludwig turn away. But the staff did work! As it returned to -his black hand, Gludwig hurried out of the throne room, rushing here -and there about the castle to cast the staff again and again at his -unsuspecting aids and servants.</p> - -<p>"Are you mad?" hissed Glubdo, coming upon his brother in the act -of petrifying a small boot boy. "If you continue in this reckless -fashion—who will do the work or wait upon us?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, I've only tried it on a dozen or so," said Gludwig, holding -the staff jealously behind his back. "Mind you don't overstep your -authority, brother, or I might be tempted to use it on you."</p> - -<p>Chuckling wickedly at Glubdo's shocked expression, Gludwig mounted -to his own quarters and hastily throwing off his clothes, curled up -in Jinnicky's sumptuous ruby trimmed four poster. He was too weary -to descend to the cellar and deal with his enemies, and resolving to -finish them off the first thing in the morning, the miserable imposter -fell asleep, Planetty's magic staff clutched tightly in his hands.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus98.jpg" width="500" height="328" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>While he slumbered, strange things were happening below stairs, for -just as the clock in the tower tolled two Ginger noiselessly set his -royal passengers down in the deserted throne room and vanished away -with a flashing smile.</p> - -<p>Snapping on a ruby lamp, the Red Jinn looked around him with a long -sigh of content. Motioning for Kabumpo to place the sleeping Princess -on his comfortable cushioned throne, he tiptoed about, touching one -after another of his possessions.</p> - -<p>"Where do you suppose he is?" whispered Randy, treading close behind -him.</p> - -<p>"I don't suppose, I know," Jinnicky whispered back. "Where would he be -but in my own royal bed? Come along; we'll take him by surprise and the -ears and throw him out of the window. Careful now, boys, step softly! -Confound the black-hearted scoundrel! He's been using the silver staff."</p> - -<p>Sorrowfully the little Jinn paused before the statue of his favorite -dog.</p> - -<p>"Never mind," comforted Randy. "When you find a way to restore Planetty -she'll find a way to undo this mischief, and you know you still have -Nina."</p> - -<p>"Yes," said Jinnicky, placing the Nonagon cat tenderly on a red -cushion. "Come on, then, we'll creep up on him. Nobody's around, -nobody's on guard, this should be easy." Stepping softly up the broad -stair, Kabumpo as lightly as any of them, the three made their way to -Jinnicky's vast bed room.</p> - -<p>"Leave him to me," begged the Elegant Elephant in a fierce whisper. -"I'll wring his neck with my own trunk."</p> - -<p>"No, wait—I'll ring my dinner bell," puffed Jinnicky, "and have Ginger -carry him to the other side of the Nonestic Ocean."</p> - -<p>"Even that wouldn't be far enough," muttered Randy, tiptoeing over to -the bed. "If we just knew where he had hidden Planetty's staff we could -turn him into a big brass monkey, for that's just what he looks like."</p> - -<p>"Ho! I do, do I?" The unexpected interruption made them all jump. -Gludwig, wakened by Kabumpo's first whisper, had lain silently watching -from beneath his long lashes. Now tossing back the silk covers, he -sprang up, throwing the staff straight at Randy's heart.</p> - -<p>"Now let's see what you'll turn to," he panted savagely.</p> - -<p>Too startled to move or act, Kabumpo and Jinnicky watched in fascinated -horror as the staff struck. And strike it did, but instead of -petrifying Randy, the rod passed like a flash of lightning through -the young King's body and returned to Gludwig's hand, leaving Randy -live and lively as ever he was, lively enough in fact to leap forward, -snatch the dangerous weapon and bring it down hard on his red-wigged -head. With a thud that splintered Jinnicky's best bed, Gludwig fell -back.</p> - -<p>"Hah! What did I tell you?" exclaimed Randy, and indeed the former -holder of the castle in his petrified condition looked as much like a -brass monkey as Randy had said he would.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus99.jpg" width="500" height="336" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Oh, my, mercy me! Oh, my! Oh, me!" With trembling fingers the Red Jinn -began to feel Randy all over. "With my own eyes I saw that staff go -through you, lad, yet here you are—no mark—no statue. I declare I, -I'm—" With tears running down his nose, Jinnicky embraced Randy over -and over.</p> - -<p>"Out of that bed with you!" screamed Kabumpo, "OUT!" And winding his -trunk round the rigid Gludwig, he flung him violently out of the -window. As the image fell with a resounding clunk into the vegetable -garden below, the Elegant Elephant sank on his haunches and mopped his -brow with one of the red silk bed sheets.</p> - -<p>"Never—never do I hope to live through such a moment again," he -groaned, blowing his trunk explosively. "I thought you were frozen and -done for, my boy—done for!" Rocking to and fro, Kabumpo blinked the -tears out of his eyes.</p> - -<p>"I don't understand yet why I wasn't," admitted Randy, wriggling out of -Jinnicky's grasp and touching the spot where the staff had struck him.</p> - -<p>"Someone or something was protecting you," declared the little Jinn, -nodding his head like a mandarin. "Do you carry any charms or talismans -against evil, my boy?"</p> - -<p>"Not a one." Turning out his pockets, Randy displayed a collection of -knives, rubber bands, coins and the other odds and ends that a man -usually stores in his pockets. Among the strange assortment were two -small squat jars and on these Jinnicky pounced with a triumphant little -crow.</p> - -<p>"Why, Randy Spandy Jack a Dandy, you have two bottles of my best weapon -turning elixir! How did you happen to have them?"</p> - -<p>"Those?" Randy squinted down at the bottles in positive mystification. -"Oh, I must have picked them up in the cellar—of course I did, I -remember distinctly now."</p> - -<p>"Oh, glory be! Glory me! Har, har, har! Am I a good wizard or am I a -good wizard? And to think you should have happened on the very thing -you'd be needing." Jinnicky danced in exuberant circles.</p> - -<p>"Sh—hush! Somebody's coming." Crowding all his belongings back into -his pocket, Randy turned in alarm. Half the courtiers and servants were -crowded into the doorway. And when they saw Jinnicky and his friends -instead of Gludwig in the Royal Apartment they began to back away in -chagrin and embarrassment.</p> - -<p>"Oh, it's all right," Jinnicky waved airily. "You threw in your -fortunes with the wrong man, that's all! You'll find Gludwig below in -the cabbages. But I forgive you! I forgive you!" he added impulsively -as his former mine workers began to stammer apologies and excuses. "Go -back to your beds now, but see that breakfast is on time and hot and -appetizing."</p> - -<p>With an impatient nod of his head, Jinnicky dismissed them and, looking -very downcast and crest-fallen, they hurried away.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus100.jpg" width="500" height="282" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>It was a long time before the Red Jinn and his rescuers could bring -themselves to retire. There was so much to talk of, to wonder over -and to plan. But finally, even Randy acknowledged that he was sleepy, -and confident that Jinnicky would find some way to help Planetty and -Thun in the morning, he curled up on a small red sofa and fell into a -peaceful slumber. As for Kabumpo, he stretched out on the floor and -Jinnicky, not caring to occupy a bed so recently slept in by Gludwig, -made himself comfortable on a bear rug beside the Elegant Elephant, -enjoying the first real rest he had had in seven long months.</p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_18" id="CHAPTER_18"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus101.jpg" width="500" height="343" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 18<br /> - -<small>The Red Jinn Restored</small></h2> - - -<p>Word of his return had quickly spread through the Red Jinn's vast -dominions, and when Jinnicky and his guests descended next morning a -whole loyal black legion were cheering from the courtyard and lined up -along the shore. After Gludwig had seized the castle and enslaved the -household, the rest of the natives had fled for their lives, refusing -to stay or acknowledge the red-wigged imposter as their ruler. Now that -Jinnicky was restored and safely at home again, their joy knew no -bounds. Appearing briefly on one of the castle balconies, the Red Jinn -made one of his best and merriest speeches, telling of his experiences -and assuring his faithful flock that Gludwig was gone and would trouble -them no more. To prove his statement, he pointed to the fallen figure -in the cabbage patch. Glubdo, fearing Jinnicky's anger, had already -left for an unknown destination, and now there was nothing to be done -but restore the Kingdom to its former cheerful status and prosperity.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus102.jpg" width="296" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>While the Red Jinn, Kabumpo, Randy and Nina breakfasted happily on the -terrace, a willing delegation marched off to the ruby mines to release -Alibabble, the courtiers and servants from their long servitude. The -miners who had taken their place in the castle and army were only -too willing to return to the mines, for with Jinnicky back in power -their hours were short, their wages high and each miner had his own -cozy cottage and garden. The petrified miners who had served in the -army that issued out to capture Randy and Kabumpo were stood along -the highways to act as sign posts and also as warnings to all of the -hard fate awaiting those who lent their ears to treachery and their -arms to rebellion. Randy could hardly contain himself while all these -necessary matters were attended to. The young monarch spent nearly all -his time arranging and rearranging the cushions on Jinnicky's throne, -where Planetty still lay in complete beauty and insensibility. Kabumpo -was almost as bad, pacing anxiously between the throne and the terrace -where Thun had been carried by fifty interested blacks.</p> - -<p>"Even if I cannot bring them back to life and activity, they are a -handsome addition to any castle," puffed Jinnicky, sinking down at last -on one of his red lacquer sofas and fanning himself rapidly with his -lid. "Oh, my mercy me! Don't look at me that way, my boy! Of course -I'll do my best and double best. But suppose my best is not good -enough?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, it will be," declared Kabumpo, giving the Red Jinn a little pat -on the back with his trunk. "I'll bet on your red magic any day in the -year. Look at the way that elixir saved Randy from the magic staff. -Where is Planetty's staff, by the way—sort of dangerous to leave it -about!"</p> - -<p>"It's locked up safely in my iron cabinet," said Jinnicky, closing one -eye. "So you really think I'm good, old Gaboscis—better even than the -Wizard of Oz, eh?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, much," asserted the Elegant Elephant, wagging his head positively.</p> - -<p>"All right, then, leave me—leave me," begged the Red Jinn, fairly -pushing them out of the throne room. "I've ordered all my magic -brought to me here, and here I'll stay till this pretty little -Princess and her charger come out of this metal trance. My, mercy me! -Trance—entrance—entrancing. Oh, har, har, har! I've an idea there, my -boys!" Bouncing off the sofa, Jinnicky skipped over to the Princess of -Anuther Planet.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus103.jpg" width="500" height="327" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Oh, Kabumpo! Do you think he really has?" whispered Randy, as he and -the Elegant Elephant hurried through the door of the throne room and -closed it softly behind them.</p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_19" id="CHAPTER_19"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus104.jpg" width="500" height="343" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 19<br /> - -<small>Red Magic</small></h2> - - -<p>The hours Randy and Kabumpo spent waiting for Jinnicky to summon them -to his throne room were the longest and most anxious they had ever -endured.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus105.jpg" width="233" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Even if he does restore them," groaned Randy, pacing feverishly up and -down one of the garden paths, "he'll have to send them straight back -to Anuther Planet." Rumpling up his hair, he looked wildly back at the -Elegant Elephant, who was just behind him. "And if they go," declared -the young King in a desperate voice, "I warn you, Kabumpo, I shall -jump on Thun's back and go with them."</p> - -<p>"What? And leave ME?" gasped the Elegant Elephant, putting back his -ears, "and your Kingdom and friends and all your responsibilities? -No, no, Randy, this won't do. Besides, you'd probably perish in that -outlandish metal wilderness with nothing to eat and no place to rest -your head. You can't do it, my boy, and furthermore, I won't let you."</p> - -<p>Snatching Randy up in his trunk, he held him as tightly as if he were -already running away instead of threatening to do so. In the course of -this bitter argument and as the young monarch began pummeling Kabumpo -futilely with his fists, they were both lifted bodily into the air and -set swiftly down in the Red Throne Room.</p> - -<p>"The Master has good news for you," explained Ginger. "LOOK!" With his -flashing white grin the little bell boy pointed to the throne itself -and then, as was his wont, inexplicably vanished. What he saw made -Randy rush forward and fling both arms round the Red Jinn's neck.</p> - -<p>"Oh, you did it! You really did it!" he cried, embracing Jinnicky all -over again. "How can I ever thank you enough?"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus106.jpg" width="259" height="350" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Where am I?" murmured the clear silvery voice that Kabumpo and Randy -knew so well. "Oh, what a netiful, netiful castle. Randy! Randy! And -there you are, Big Bumpo, and Thun! But how did we come out of that -debasement?"</p> - -<p>Without bothering to answer, Randy seized Planetty's hands and looked -and looked at her as if he were never going to stop.</p> - -<p>"You're the same, and yet different," he mused, scarcely able to -believe what he saw. "And Thun is the same, yet different, too."</p> - -<p>"I am Thun the Thunder Colt, now, then, and always!" announced Thun, -and gave a frightened jump, for he had actually spoken the words at the -same time they went spiraling up into a sparkling sentence over his -head. "Oh, Princess, Princess!" he whinnied joyously. "Do you hear? Do -you see? I can talk, I can hear, I can see and hear myself talking!"</p> - -<p>At each word Thun gave an ecstatic bound and then began racing madly -round and round the throne room, in and out between the red pillars, -leaping over chairs and tables in a positively hair-raising fashion.</p> - -<p>"Oh, my! Oh, my mercy me!" faltered Jinnicky, and scooping up the -Nonagon Cat, he jumped up on a red tabouret. "Stop him, somebody! Stop -him!"</p> - -<p>"Whoa, there! Come back here, Thun, come back; we want to look at you!" -Running after the Thunder Colt, Randy caught him by his plumy tail and -hung on till he actually did stop.</p> - -<p>"And he doesn't make a sound when he gallops—not a sound," marveled -Jinnicky, edging nervously over to his throne and taking a seat beside -Planetty.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus107.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"A sound but soundless steed! Har, har, har! And do not mind his -breath, Randy, it cannot burn you now; it's cold fire and will not -singe a thing!"</p> - -<p>"But how did you do it?" demanded Kabumpo, touching Planetty lightly -with his trunk.</p> - -<p>"Oh, partly by my red incense, partly by my red reanimating rays, and -partly by an old incantation against entrancery," explained Jinnicky, -as Randy brought Thun back and handed him over to Planetty. "Do you -feel all right now, my dear, and as beautiful as you look?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes! Oh, very yes!" answered Planetty, smiling shyly round at the -Red Jinn. "And you, I know it now, you must be the Wizard so wonderful -of Ev?"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus108.jpg" width="500" height="342" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Wonderful! Wonderful? Well, I should say hay hurray!" Randy threw his -crown up in the air and caught it. "Wonderful enough to save himself -and us too. Oh, SO many things have happened, Planetty, since you and -Thun turned to cold metal in that awful cellar!"</p> - -<p>"I must make a note," muttered Jinnicky, patting Thun rather cautiously -on the neck. "I must make a note to clean and cheer up that cellar. My! -mercy! me! I haven't been down there for years!"</p> - -<p>"And if I never see it again, it will still be too soon," grunted -Kabumpo, leaning up against a red pillar. "Look, Jinnicky," he muttered -out of a corner of his mouth as Randy and Planetty moved over to one -of the windows and Randy began to tell the little Princess all that -had happened on Nonagon Isle and Thun began kicking up his heels and -talking to himself just for the fun of the thing. "Look, will these two -have to go straight back to their own planet?"</p> - -<p>"That is what is worrying me," Jinnicky said, speaking behind one -hand and patting his hound, also released from its enchantment, with -the other. "I managed to reawake and reanimate them, but, as you've -probably noticed, they are changed. Most certainly they are alive, but -no longer of living metal, see? The girl's hair is no longer of fine -spun metal strands, but it is real hair, still silvery in color as -her skin retains its iridescent sheen, but I'm very much afraid, as -things are, that the Princess and her colt are unfitted for life on -that far and rigorous planet of theirs. Yes," Jinnicky nodded his head -emphatically, "I'm very much afraid they'll have to content themselves -down here and live, eat and behave generally as natives of Oz or Ev."</p> - -<p>"WHAT?" trumpeted Kabumpo so fiercely Nina jumped out of Jinnicky's -arms and hid under the red throne. "Oh, say it again!" he begged, -swallowing convulsively. "Great Grump, why this is the best news I've -heard since you've come up out of the sea."</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus109.jpg" width="500" height="324" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"You mean they won't care?" exclaimed the Red Jinn, rubbing his palms -nervously together.</p> - -<p>"Care!" spluttered Kabumpo, waving his trunk toward the small red -sofa where Randy and Planetty sat in rapt and earnest conversation. -"They care for nothing but each other, old fellow. Right there, my -dear Wizard, sits the future Queen of Regalia, or I'm a blue-bearded -Nannygoat!"</p> - -<p>"Oh, my, mercy me! You don't say! Oh, har, har, har! How delightful! -Why, this calls for a celebration, a feast and a fiesta." Beaming -with interest and benevolence, Jinnicky banged on the side of his -throne with both fists and his elbows. "Prepare a feast," he ordered -breathlessly, as Alibabble, his Grand Advizier, entered in a calm -and dignified manner, showing no ill effects from his long months of -servitude in the ruby mines. "Prepare a feast, Old Tollywog, there's -to be a wedding, with rings, bells, palms, presents and all the fruity -fixings."</p> - -<p>"A wedding?" Alibabble looked sternly at his master, whom he instantly -suspected of being the groom, then as the Red Jinn, grinning wickedly, -waved to the engrossed pair on the red sofa, he nodded briefly.</p> - -<p>"In that event," he remarked, backing rapidly away as he spoke, "I -earnestly advise your Majesty to have a hair cut."</p> - -<p>"Oh, my mercy me! Did you hear that?" screamed the Jinn, as he turned -to Kabumpo, his face very red and angry.</p> - -<p>"I certainly did," roared the Elegant Elephant, giving Jinnicky a -playful little push. "Hasn't changed a bit, has he? And neither have -you. The last time I was in this castle he was advising the very same -thing."</p> - -<p>"That's all he ever thinks of," fumed Jinnicky, fingering his long -locks lovingly. Then as his eye rested again on the happy little -Princess and the prancing Thunder Colt, his expression grew milder. -"Randy! RANDY!" he called, jerking his thumb imperiously at his royal -guest. "See here, my boy," he explained, puffing out his cheeks -importantly, as Randy came to stand beside the throne. "I have done -MY part to save your little Princess and now you must do yours! -Unfortunately," Jinnicky's face grew long and dolorous, "unfortunately, -Planetty and Thun, from this time on, will be unable to exist on -Anuther Planet, so now, without a home or country, what will become of -them?" In mock distress the Red Jinn stared down at his young friend.</p> - -<p>"Oh, Jinnicky! How wonderful! Oh, Jinnicky, do you mean it? Thank you! -Thank you! THANK YOU!" Pressing the little Jinn's hands, Randy went -racing across the throne room.</p> - -<p>"Planetty," he whispered breathlessly in the little Princess' ear. "How -would you like to be Queen of Regalia, to go back to Oz with Thun, -Kabumpo and me and live in my castle for always?"</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus110.jpg" width="500" height="339" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>"Oh, I think—" Planetty's soft yellow eyes fairly danced with surprise -and happiness—"I think that would be very nite. Oh, Randy, that would -be netiful, netiful!"</p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><a name="CHAPTER_20" id="CHAPTER_20"></a></p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus111.jpg" width="500" height="332" alt=""/> -</div> - -<h2>CHAPTER 20<br /> - -<small>King and Queen of Regalia</small></h2> - - -<p>The feast to celebrate Randy's and Planetty's wedding was the grandest -and merriest in all the merry annals of Oz and Ev. It was, in fact, a -double celebration. The Red Jinn's return and his victory over Gludwig -was enough to keep his subjects cheering for days and to honor his -rescuers and especially the little Princess of Anuther Planet and her -royal consort, the Evians outdid themselves, putting on one show after -another. There were parades and pageants, fireworks and speeches and so -many presents and parties it makes me jealous just to think of them. -Over and over again Planetty and Thun rejoiced in their new life and -way of living, and eating the delicacies prepared by Jinnicky's chef -was not the least of its privileges. In the Red Jinn's castle eating -was a pleasure as well as a necessity. But after a month's merry stay, -during which every point of interest in Jinnicky's vast realm was -visited, the travelers bade the little Jinn a hearty and affectionate -adieu.</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus112.jpg" width="500" height="322" alt=""/> -</div> - -<p>Mounting Kabumpo and Thun, and laden with gifts and good wishes, the -young King and Queen set out for the Land of Oz and their own royal -castle. Uncle Hoochafoo had already received his instructions and as -Randy had predicted things were very gay, very different and very -cozy in that regal and mountainous little Kingdom. Planetty's staff, -powerful as ever, was a great help and protection to the young rulers -and the small red hand bag that packed itself went on many journeys -with the little Queen of the country.</p> - -<p>If this story were beginning instead of ending, I could tell you a -whole book of adventures they had traveling with Kabumpo and Thun -through the great Land of Oz, for these days the Elegant Elephant -spends almost as much time with Randy and Planetty as he does with the -Royal Family of Pumperdink, and most of it in travel. And in Oz, what a -gay way one travels! The other morning as I lay dreaming of them all, I -got to thinking how nite it would be if the horses on milk wagons here -were all soundless gallopers like Thun!</p> - -<div class="image-center"> - <img src="images/illus113.jpg" width="500" height="309" alt=""/> -</div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Silver Princess in Oz, by -Ruth Plumly Thompson and L. 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Frank Baum - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Silver Princess in Oz - -Author: Ruth Plumly Thompson - L. Frank Baum - -Illustrator: John R. Neill - -Release Date: November 30, 2017 [EBook #56085] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SILVER PRINCESS IN OZ *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - The SILVER PRINCESS in OZ - - _By_ - RUTH PLUMLY THOMPSON - Founded on and continuing the Famous Oz Stories - - _By_ - L. FRANK BAUM - "Royal Historian of Oz" - - _Illustrated by_ - JOHN R. NEILL - - * * * * * - - THE SILVER PRINCESS IN OZ - - Copyright 1938 - - By - THE REILLY & LEE CO. - - Printed in the U. S. A. - - [Transcriber's Note: Extensive research did not uncover any - evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - * * * * * - -_Dear Boys and Girls:_ - -This book will tell you all that happened when Randy -and Kabumpo traveled off to the Castle of the Red Jinn. -Halfway there they met a Princess from Anuther Planet -and her Thunder Colt; later, a villain named Gludwig. -With a name like that, we'd know he was a villain, wouldn't -we? Now DO tell me what interested you most in this -story; any Oz news you have heard lately and all about -yourself! - -There goes the bell now! Well, I'm expecting a merry -message any minute from any of you! Exciting, isn't it? -So here I go to read my first letter! - -Yours, with last year's love and this year's wishes! - -RUTH PLUMLY THOMPSON - -254 S. Farragut Terrace, - -West Philadelphia, Pa. - - * * * * * - - To two Little Girls - - FLORENCE LINN EDSALL - - and - - MARY JOSEPHINE RITCHIE - - this book is lovingly dedicated - by their cousin - - RUTH. - - * * * * * - - LIST OF CHAPTERS - - - 1 The King Rebels - - 2 The Elegant Elephant of Oz - - 3 Gaper's Gulch - - 4 Out of Gaper's Gulch - - 5 Headway - - 6 The Other Side of the Desert - - 7 The Princess of Anuther Planet - - 8 On to Ev - - 9 The Box Wood - - 10 Night in the Forest - - 11 The Field of Feathers - - 12 Arrival at the Castle of the Red Jinn - - 13 Gludwig the Glubrious - - 14 The Slave of the Magic Dinner Bell - - 15 Nonagon Island - - 16 All Together at Last - - 17 In the Red Jinn's Castle - - 18 The Red Jinn Restored - - 19 Red Magic - - 20 King and Queen of Regalia - - - - -CHAPTER 1 - -The King Rebels - - -In a far-away northwestern corner of the Gilliken Country of Oz lies -the rugged little Kingdom of Regalia, and in an airy and elegant -castle, set high on the tallest mountain, lives Randy, its brave -young King. When the Regalians are not busy celebrating one of their -seventy-seven national holidays, they are busy tending their flocks of -goats or looking after the vines that cover every mountain and hill, -producing the largest and most luscious grapes in Oz. These proud and -independent mountain folk have much to recommend them, and if they -consider themselves superior to any and all of the other natives in -Oz, we must not blame them too much. Perhaps the sharp, clear air and -high altitude in which they live is responsible for their top-lofty -attitude. Randy, it must be confessed, found the stiff and unbending -manner of his subjects and their correct and formal behavior on all -occasions stuffy in the extreme; and of all the stuffy occasions he -had to endure the weekly court reception was the stuffiest. Just as I -started this story he was winding up another of these royal and boring -affairs. - - "Hail! Hail! Give Majesty its proper due, - Hail Randywell, King Handywell of Brandenburg and Bompadoo! - Boom! BOOM! BOOM!" - -At each crash of the drums the young King winced and shuddered, then, -pulling himself together, he nodded resignedly to his richly attired -courtiers and subjects who were retiring backwards from the royal -presence. As the last bowing figure swished through the double doors, -Randy gave a huge sigh and groan. This was his three hundred and tenth -reception since ascending the throne. Ahead stretched hundreds more, -besides the daily courts where he acted as presiding Judge to settle -all disputes of the realm; countless reviewings of troops; inspections -of model goat farms; and attendance at numerous celebrations for -national heroes of Regalia. - -"Oh, being a King is awful," choked the youthful monarch, loosening his -regal cape and letting it fall unheeded to the floor. "AWFUL! Will it -always be like this, Uncle?" - -"Like what?" His uncle, the Grand Duke Hoochafoo, who was still -inclining his head mechanically in the direction of the door, caught -himself abruptly in the middle of a bow. - -"Oh, all this silly standing round and being bowed at, this 'Hail! -Hail! and Way for His Majesty!' stuff. Galloping Gollopers, Uncle, -I'd like to step out by myself occasionally without twenty footmen -springing to open doors and fifty pages tooting on their blasted -trumpets. Why, I cannot even cross the courtyard, that a dozen -guardsmen do not fall in behind me!" Flouncing over to the window, -Randy stared out over the royal terrace. "Even the goats on the -mountain have more fun than I do," he observed bitterly. "They can -run, jump, climb and even butt one another, while I--" Randy let his -arms fall heavily at his sides. "I have not even anyone to fight with. -If just ONCE somebody would punch me in the nose instead of bowing." -Randy clenched and unclenched his fists. - -"Hm--mm! So that's what you want!" Looking quizzically at his young -nephew, Uncle Hoochafoo crossed to the bell rope and gave it a savage -tug. As Randy's personal servant and valet appeared to answer the ring, -he spoke sharply, "Dawkins, kindly hit His Majesty in the nose!" - -"The nose? Oh, but Your Lordship, I couldn't do a thing like that. -'Tisn't right, nor fitting--nor--" - -"I said hit him in the nose," commanded Uncle Hoochafoo, advancing -grimly upon the terrified valet. - -"Yes, yes, like this!" Bringing up his fist, Randy made such a -splendid connection with the valet's nose, Dawkins toppled over -backwards. Dancing from one foot to the other as the outraged servant -sprang to his feet, Randy prepared to defend himself. But with his hand -clapped to his nose, Dawkins was retiring rapidly. "Thank you!" he -muttered in a strangled voice, "thank you very much!" - -"Did you hear that? He said 'Thank you,'" screamed Randy as Dawkins -disappeared with an agitated bow. "Oh, this is too much; I wish I were -back with Nandywog in Tripedalia--or anywhere but here, doing anything -but this." - -"Now, now! Don't take things so hard," begged his uncle, patting him -kindly on the shoulder. - -"Hard?" Randy glared at the old nobleman. "I can take things hard, -Uncle, but I cannot take them soft. I'll never forgive my father for -getting me into this--NEVER!" Randy's father, former King of Regalia, -tiring of a royal life and routine, had retired to a distant cave to -live the life of a hermit, and Randy, after traveling all over Oz to -fulfil the seven difficult tests required of a Regalian ruler, had -succeeded to the throne. - -"You should not speak like that of your royal parent," chided Uncle -Hoochafoo, tapping his spectacles absently against his teeth, "for you -are very much like him, my boy, very much like him. Hmm! Hmm! Harumph!" -Uncle Hoochafoo cleared his throat thoughtfully. "What you need is a -change, a new interest. Ah, I have it! You must marry, my lad, you -must marry! Some pretty little Princess or rich young Queen, and then -everything will be punjanoobious!" - -"Is being married anything like being a King?" inquired Randy -suspiciously. - -"Oh, no. No, indeed, quite the reverse." The eyes of the old Duke, who -had once been married, grew glazed and pensive. "Once you are married, -you will feel less like a King every day," he promised solemnly. "And -the arguments alone will keep you occupied for hours." Uncle Hoochafoo -raised both shoulders and eyebrows. "Wait, I'll just go consult the -wise men about a proper Princess for you." - -"No! No! I do not wish to be married," announced Randy, stamping his -foot. "I'll not marry for years," he declared stubbornly. Then, as -loud outcries and tremendous thumps interrupted them, he hurried over -to an open window just in time to meet a large rock that came crashing -through the amethyst pane. - -"Look out!" blustered Uncle Hoochafoo, jerking Randy to his feet, for -the rock had completely bowled him over. "Well, I see you have your -wish. How's that for a knock in the nose, my lad? Not only the nose, -but also the beginning of a beautiful black eye!" - -"Have I really?" Racing over to a mirror, Randy proudly examined his -injured orb. "Oh, Uncle, isn't this fun? Who did it? What's up, d'ye -s'pose--a revolution?" Hurrying back to the window, Randy recklessly -thrust out his head to stare down into the courtyard. Kayub, the -Gatekeeper, had his shoulder braced against the gold-studded doors in -the castle wall, but even so, the doors were bulging and creaking from -the thunderous blows struck from the other side. - -"Open in the name of the LAW!" boomed a tremendous voice. "Thump! -Thump! Kerbang! OPEN in the name of a Prince of the Realm! Open this -door, you unmannerly Scuppernong!" - -"No, no, stay where you are!" panted Kayub, waving desperately with one -arm for the guards to come help him. "Stay where you are, or go to the -rear entrance! Who do you think you are, hammering on the doors of His -Majesty's castle?" - -"I don't think, I know!" raged the voice from the other side of the -wall. "I am a Prince of Pumperdink, you unspeakable clod. Open up -this door before I break it down!" And after even more furious thumps -another shower of rocks came flying over the wall. - -"Great Gillikens! I think--I believe--why it IS! Kayub, Kayub, open the -door! It is a Prince!" shouted Randy, using both hands as a megaphone. - -"'Tis nothing of the sort," grunted the Gatekeeper obstinately. "I -looked through me little grill but a moment ago and it's no Prince at -all, but a parade! A parade of one elephant, if you please, and when I -orders him to the rear entrance he ups with his trunk and flings rocks -over our wall!" - -"But this elephant IS a Prince," insisted Randy, banging on the window -ledge. "Besides, he's a great friend of mine." - -"Open the door, fool!" directed Uncle Hoochafoo, leaning so far out the -window his crown fell to the paving stones. "The King has spoken. Admit -this elephant at once! At once!" - -"And about time," fumed an indignant voice, as Kayub reluctantly -drew the bolts and, swinging wide the doors, stepped back to let a -magnificently caparisoned elephant swing through. "A fine welcome this -is, I must say, for the Elegant Elephant of Oz! Out of my way, wart!" -Picking Kayub up in his trunk, the visitor jammed him down hard into a -golden trash barrel, trumpeted fiercely at the double line of guards -who had instantly sprung to attention, and went swaying across the -courtyard. - -Now nowhere but in Oz could an elephant talk, much less come hammering -on the doors of a royal castle, but in Oz, as we very well know, -animals talk and act as sensibly as people, which makes Oz about ten -times as exciting as any other country on the map. But while I've been -explaining all this, Randy had run down the steps and was half-way -across the courtyard. - -"Kabumpo, KABUMPO, is it really you? Oh, at last--AT LAST you are -here!" Impatiently waving aside the guards, Randy led his mammoth and -still muttering guest into the palace. - -"Kaybumpo, is it?" sniffed Kayub, jerking himself with great -difficulty out of the trash barrel. "Such goings on. Well, all I -say--" The Gatekeeper peered carefully over his shoulder to see that -the elephant was safely inside the castle, then, raising his arm for -the benefit of the staring guards, he cried fiercely. "All I can say -is--just let him show his snoot around here again and I'll kabump him -down the mountain!" - - - - -CHAPTER 2 - -The Elegant Elephant of Oz - - -Fortunately the doors of Randy's castle were high and wide, and the -rooms so large and spacious, even a guest as large as this elephant -could quite easily be accommodated. Still irritated by the Gatekeeper's -insolence, Kabumpo followed the young ruler to the throne room where he -sank stiffly to his haunches and waited in outraged silence for Randy -to speak. Randy, however, was so surprised and happy to see his old -friend and comrade, he could not utter a word. But the Elegant Elephant -could not long withstand the honest delight and affection beaming from -the young King's eyes, and under that kindly glow his wrath melted away -like fog in the sunshine. - -"Well! Well!" he rumbled testily, "how do I look?" - -"Elegant!" breathed Randy, stepping back to have a better view. -"Elegant as ever. You've worn your best robe and jewels, haven't you?" - -"Always wear my best when I call on a King," said Kabumpo, smoothing -down his embroidered collar complacently with his trunk. - -"And I believe you've grown a foot," went on Randy, standing on tiptoe -to pat Kabumpo on the shoulder. - -"A foot," roared the Elegant Elephant, throwing back his head. "Oh, -come now, I couldn't have grown a foot without noticing it, and I still -have but four--here, count 'em! Say, who in hay bales gave you that -black eye?" - -"YOU did." Randy fairly sputtered with mirth at Kabumpo's discomfited -expression. "I was just wishing someone would hit me in the nose, when -along came that rock and NOW look at me!" - -"Yes," put in Uncle Hoochafoo, regarding Kabumpo severely through his -monocle. "Now look at him!" - -"Well, why didn't you tell that wart of a doorkeeper I was expected?" -demanded Kabumpo explosively. - -"The King of Regalia does not hold conversation with his doorkeeper," -explained Randy's uncle, giving the Elegant Elephant a very sour look. - -"Oh, he doesn't!" Kabumpo lurched grandly to his feet. "Well, it's time -somebody told him about the Elegant Elephant of Oz and how he should be -received and welcomed. Let me tell you, sirrah--trumpets blow when I -come and go in Pumperdink!" - -"Then why did you ever leave there?" inquired the Duke coldly. - -"Oh, Uncle, don't you remember, we were to review the Purple Guard at -five? YOU go," urged Randy, fearful lest the tempery old Duke would -still further insult the even more tempery old elephant. "Honestly, I -feel a cold coming on." Randy coughed plaintively, at the same time -winking at Kabumpo. - -"Very well, I'll go," agreed his uncle stiffly. "But do not forget -there is a dinner for the Grape Growers at seven, a concert of the -Goat Herdsmen at eight, maneuvers of our Highland Guards in the Royal -Barracks at nine and--" - -"Yes, yes! All right!" Randy fairly pushed his royal relative toward -the door. - -"An ancient pest if I ever saw one," grumbled Kabumpo as the Grand Duke -disappeared with a very grim expression. "Great gooselberries! Do we -have to do all those dumb things? Why, it's six years since I've seen -you, Randy, and I kinda thought we'd have a cozy time all to ourselves." - -"I never have any time to myself," sighed the young monarch wistfully. -"I do nothing but lay cornerstones and raise flags and stand around at -Royal Courts and Receptions. Everybody bows and bows. Why, it's got so -I even bow to myself when I look in the glass, and NOW--" Randy raised -his arms indignantly. "Now Uncle Hoochafoo says I must marry." - -"Marry!" trumpeted Kabumpo, twinkling his eyes angrily. "What nonsense! -Why, you are nowhere near old enough to marry. You were only about ten -when I met you and that makes you sixteen now, though I must say you -don't look it!" - -"Oh, no one in Oz looks his age," grinned Randy, "and you know I'd been -ten for about four years before I knew you, Kabumpo, so that makes me -twenty or so, doesn't it?" - -"I don't care what it makes you," rumbled Kabumpo, "it makes me mad. -And to think I actually helped get you into all this boring business. -My ears and trunk, Kingling, it's up to me to get you out of it." - -"How?" demanded Randy, folding his arms and leaning despondently -against the mantel. "How does one stop being a King, Kabumpo?" - -"Why, by stopping," announced the Elegant Elephant, spreading his ears -to their fullest extent. "By taking a vacation, my fine young sprig. By -departing and going hence for a suitable season. Do you suppose I came -all the way from Pumperdink to hear Goatherds tootling on bells and -Highlanders tramping round a barracks? I came to see you, my boy, and -nobody else." Kabumpo paused to blow his trunk explosively on a violet -silk handkerchief. "And after that I thought we'd go and visit the Red -Jinn." - -"Oh, Kabumpo, could we?" Randy's face brightened and then as quickly -fell. "I don't believe Uncle Hoochafoo will let me go," he finished -dolefully. - -"A King does not ask whether or not he may go, he GOES," stated the -Elegant Elephant, beginning to sway like a ship under full sail. "But -to avoid all arguments we'll not start till later. Could you be ready -by midnight, young one?" - -"Oh, I'm ready now," declared Randy, picking up his cloak from the -floor and snatching a sword from its bracket on the wall. "Why ever did -you wait so long, Kabumpo? You promised to visit me six months after I -was crowned." - -"Well, you know how it is at a court." The Elegant Elephant sighed -and settled back on his haunches again. "If it isn't one thing -it's another, but here I am at last. So--order up your dinner and -a few bales of hay and a barrel of cider for me. I crave rest and -refreshment." - -"And what about the Grape Growers, the Goatherds and Highlanders?" -worried Randy. - -"Oh, them!" exclaimed Kabumpo inelegantly. "Here!" Seizing a pen from -the royal desk, he scribbled a defiant message on a handy piece of -parchment. - -"No admittance under extreme penalty of the Law. Do not disturb! By -special order of His Majesty, King Randywell Handywell of Brandenburg -and Bompadoo." - -"See, I remembered all your names, and I've used them all!" Opening -the door with his trunk, Kabumpo impaled the notice on the knob, then -quietly closed the door and turned the key in the lock. And only -once did they open it, and then to admit ten flustered footmen with -Randy's dinner and Kabumpo's cider and hay. To imperious raps, taps -and numerous notes thrust under the door by the young King's agitated -uncle, they paid no attention whatever. They were too busy talking over -old times and the exciting days when they had journeyed all over Oz, -and with the help of Jinnicky, the little Red Jinn, saved the Royal -Family of Pumperdink from the Witch of Follensby Forest. - -Pumperdink, as most of you know, is in the north central part of the -Gilliken Country of Oz, and ruled by King Pompus and Queen Posy. -Their son, Prince Pompadore, has much to say about affairs in that -Kingdom, but it is to Kabumpo, his Elegant Elephant, that Pompus turned -oftenest for counsel and comfort. Given to the King by a celebrated -Blue Emperor, Kabumpo has proved himself so wise and sagacious, Pompus -depends on him for almost everything. It is Kabumpo who advises His -Majesty when to have his hair cut and put aside his woolen underwear, -when to go to the dentist, when to turn in his old four-horse chariot -for a twelve-horse model, when to save money--when to spend it, how -to get on with neighboring Kings and how to get on without them. In -fact, so heavy are the duties and responsibilities of this remarkable -elephant, 'tis a wonder, even after six years, he managed this visit to -Randy. - -Randy's first meeting with Kabumpo had been more or less by chance. -Sent out disguised as a poor mountain boy to pass the seven severe -tests of Kingship required of Regalian Rulers, Randy had happened to -come first to the Kingdom of Pumperdink and had been hailed before the -King as a vagrant. The Elegant Elephant, taking an instant fancy to -the boy, had insisted that he be allowed to stay on as his own royal -attendant, and in this comical capacity Randy's adventures had begun. -For scarcely had he been in the palace of Pumperdink a week, before -Kettywig, the King's brother, and the Witch of Follensby Forest, -plotting to steal the crown, caused the whole royal family to disappear -by some strange and fiery magic. Barely missing the same fate, Randy -and Kabumpo managed to escape. On their way through the forest they -met a Soothsayer who told them to seek out the Red Jinn. Now no one in -Oz had ever heard of this singular personage, but after many delays -and hair-raising experiences, Randy and Kabumpo finally arrived at his -splendid red glass castle. Jinnicky, it turned out, was the Wizard of -Ev, and a merry and strange person he was. Jinnicky's whole body is -encased in a shiny red jar into which he can retire like a turtle at -will, and the little Wizard's disposition is so gay and jolly everyone -around him feels the same way. Not only did he welcome his visitors, -but set off immediately to help the Royal Family of Pumperdink out of -their misfortunes and enchantment. Once in Pumperdink, Randy, with the -help of the Red Jinn's magic looking-glasses, was able to trace the -lost King and his family and release them from the witch's spell. But -before that, and while he was traveling here and there with Kabumpo and -Jinnicky, the little Prince was fulfilling all the tests and conditions -required by the ancient laws of Regalia of their Kings. In other words, -he had made three true friends, served a strange King, saved a Queen, -showed bravery in battle, overcome a fabulous monster, disenchanted -a Princess, and received from a Wizard an important magic treasure. -And now, looking back on those brave, bright days, he could not help -thinking that earning his crown had been more fun than wearing it. - -"I wish we could do it all over again," he mused, as Kabumpo, after -recalling their visit to Nandywog, the little giant, tossed off the -last of the cider. - -"But think where we're going now," gurgled Kabumpo, setting down the -barrel with a resounding thud. "If something strange or exciting does -not happen on the way there or back, or in Jinnicky's castle itself, -I do not know my Oz and Evistery. Can't you just see Jinnicky's face -when we arrive? I wonder if Alibabble is still Grand Advizier and if -the magic dinner bell is still working. Yes! Yes? Who's there?" Kabumpo -raised his voice irritably as a persistent whistling came through the -keyhole. - -"It's Dawkins," explained an anxious voice from the other side of the -door. "The Duke says as it's high time His Highness was in bed, Your -Highness!" - -"Oh, be off with you. Go dive in the feathers yourself. His Highness is -going to sleep in here on the floor." Kabumpo stood so close and spoke -so violently through the keyhole, Dawkins was blown back against the -opposite wall. For a time footsteps pattered up and down the corridor, -then finally deciding the young King was to have his own way at last, -the footmen and courtiers and even Uncle Hoochafoo took themselves off. -But not till everything was absolutely quiet and still and everyone in -the castle asleep did Kabumpo and Randy venture forth. Then, stepping -softly as his own tremendous shadow, the Elegant Elephant with the -young King on his back slipped through the silent halls and deserted -courtyard, past the snoring sentries and keeper of the gate and on out -into the foresty Highlands beyond the palace wall. Here in the bright -white light of a smiling moon they took the highway to the north, for -the castle of the Red Jinn lies to the north by northeast of Regalia -and Oz. - -"How'll we cross the Deadly Desert?" murmured Randy, drowsily clutching -the few belongings he had tied up in an old silver table-cloth. In it -he had his oldest suit, some clean underwear, his tooth brush and his -trusty sword. - -"Never cross a desert till you come to it," advised Kabumpo. "And we've -crossed it before, you know." - -"Yes, I know." Smiling to himself, Randy dropped his head on his -bundle, and lulled by the agreeable motion of his gigantic bearer, soon -fell asleep, to dream pleasantly of Alibabble and of Ginger, slave of -the Red Jinn's dinner bell. - - - - -CHAPTER 3 - -Gaper's Gulch - - -Kabumpo, as happy to escape from Court life as Randy, moved -rhythmically as a ship through the soft spring night. Humming to -himself and busy with his own thoughts, he scarcely noticed that the -highway was growing steeper and narrower until he was brought up sharp -by an impassable barrier of rock. - -"Now, Bosh and Botherskites! I was sure this road ran straight to the -Deadly Desert," he muttered, reaching back with his trunk to see that -Randy was still safely aboard and asleep. "Beets and butternuts! Do -I have to turn back, or plough through all this rubble?" The Elegant -Elephant's small eyes twinkled with irritation, and easing himself -to the right off the highway, he peered crossly up at the offending -mass of stone. Finding no way round here, he swung over to the left -and examined it closely from that side, and was just about to start -resignedly through the brush when he discovered that what he had -taken for an especially dark shadow was really a cleft in the rock. -It was barely wide enough for him to squeeze through without scraping -the jewels from his robe. "Now then, shall I risk it or wait till -morning?" mused Kabumpo, swaying undecidedly to and fro. "It might take -us straight through to the other side of the highway. On the other -trunk, it might lead into a robber's cave or plunge us suddenly over a -precipice!" - -Edging closer, the Elegant Elephant thrust his trunk into the crevice. -It seemed smooth and solid, and, resolved to try it even though little -of the moonlight penetrated into the narrow opening, Kabumpo stepped -inside and proceeded to pick his way cautiously along the rocky -corridor. For about the length of a city street it ran straight ahead, -then curved sharply to the right. Here Kabumpo was heartened to see -a lantern hanging from an iron spike, while carved on the smooth rock -below was a blunt message. - -"This is the entrance to Gaper's Gulch. Pause here and give three yawns -and a stretch for Sleeperoo, Great, Grand and Most Snorious Gaper!" - -"Snorious Gaper! Ho, Ho! kerumph! Who ever heard of such nonsense?" -snorted Kabumpo, squinting impatiently down at the notice. "Ah, Hah! -HOH, HUM!" At this point, and without seeming able to help it, the -Elegant Elephant yawned so terrifically his head-piece fell over one -ear, and his jaw was almost dislocated. To recover his dignity and -with tears starting from his eyes, he gave himself a quick shake, then -stretched up his trunk to straighten his headgear. - -"Splen--did!" drawled a sleepy voice. "You may now proceed as before." -Blinking angrily about to see who had addressed him, the Elegant -Elephant spied a round-faced and widely gaping guard standing in a -little niche in the rock. Strapped to his shoulders, instead of a -knapsack, was a fat feather pillow, and as Kabumpo came opposite the -guard's eyes closed, and falling back against his cushion he began -gently to snore. As Kabumpo stopped in some astonishment, the guard's -nap was rudely interrupted by a pailful of pebbles that cascaded -merrily down over his ears. There were twenty pails operating on a -moving belt above his head and at three-minute intervals they pelted -him awake, as Kabumpo presently discovered. The buttons on the guard's -uniform were illuminated and spelled out his name, "WINKS." - -"Well, do I surprise you?" inquired Winks, shaking the pebbles from his -shoulders and rubbing his eyes with his yellow-gloved hands. Kabumpo, -too amused to speak, nodded. - -"And you surprise me," admitted the guard, gaping three times just to -prove it, "you big, enormous, impossible whatever you are--you! Why, -you should have been underground months ago! But that'll all be taken -care of," he added smoothly. "Just follow the arrows and you cannot -miss--just follow the arrows--just fol--" - -As Kabumpo, fuming from what he considered a mortal insult, lunged -forward, the little soldier's eyes fell shut again. Held more by -curiosity than by a desire to continue the conversation, Kabumpo waited -for the next bucket of pebbles to shower over the guard. - -"'Low the arrows," went on Winks as calmly as if he had not been -interrupted at all. "There are forty guards to point the way. Forty -Winks," he repeated, closing one eye. "Ha, Ha! To point the way. Ha, -Ha! HOH, HUM! Do you get the point?" - -As Kabumpo started off with a little snort of disgust, he felt a slight -prick in his left hind leg, for Winks, just as he feel asleep, let fly -an arrow from his old-fashioned bow. Before Kabumpo had reached the -end of the passageway he had passed forty of the Gaper Guards. After -his experience with the first, he did not stop for further talk, but -made the best speed possible, resolved to rush through Gaper's Gulch -when he came to it without even pausing to express his contempt. The -pebble awakeners were so neatly timed, each guard had a chance to speed -an arrow after the flying elephant, and by the time Kabumpo reached -the opening at the other end of the rocky pass, he had forty arrows -pricking through his robe or stuck here and there in his ears and -ankles. With his tough hide, they hurt no more than pin pricks, but -vastly indignant at such treatment, the Elegant Elephant began jerking -them out with his trunk. - -"What do they think I am, a pincushion? Hoh!" he snorted, pulling out -the last one, and relieved to note that Randy had escaped the missiles -entirely. Indeed, the young King of Regalia was sleeping as placidly -as if he were home in his own castle. Kabumpo, too, felt unaccountably -drowsy, and as he pushed his way down into the rocky little glen his -steps grew slower and slower. So far as he could see by the light of -the fast waning moon, there were neither houses nor people in Gaper's -Gulch. In the center of the valley the rough stones and brush had been -cleared away and a series of flat rocks were spaced out almost like -a gigantic checker-board. Pausing beside the largest rock, Kabumpo -spelled out the name of Sleeperoo the Great and Snorious. - -"What is this, a cemetery?" gulped the Elegant Elephant. "But that -could not be, for no one in Oz ever dies. Ho, Hum!" - -Leaning up against a dead pine and blinking furiously to keep awake, -he pondered the unpleasant situation. Then, deciding that, cemetery -or not, he must have some sleep, he lifted Randy down from his back -and rolled him in a blanket he had thoughtfully brought along. Then, -divesting himself of his jeweled robe and head-piece, Kabumpo stretched -out carefully beside his young comrade and in twenty minutes was fast -asleep. - -How long he slumbered Kabumpo never knew, but from a nightmare in which -he was struggling in a bank of treacherous quicksand, he awoke with a -frightful sinking feeling to find he was surrounded by forty more of -the Gaper Guards. Their buttons were also lit up and on each plump -chest he could read the word "Wake." The Wakes were busily at work -with pick and spade, and, unlike the Winks, did not seem the least bit -drowsy. Half convinced he was still asleep and dreaming, Kabumpo peered -out at them through half-closed lids, then gave a tremendous grunt. -Great Gillikens! He was sinking! The busy little Wakes had dug a trench -at least twenty feet deep all around him and now, careless of their -own safety, were shoveling away at the mound on which he was still -precariously resting. - -"Quick, a few more to the right," directed a crisp little voice. "Watch -yourself there, Torpy. Ah, here he comes! Heads up, lads!" - -As the Chief Wake spoke, Kabumpo felt the mound give way and down he -rolled into the pit, while the Wakes scrambled frantically up the sides. - -"Did you hear that fierce TOOT?" puffed the little Guard addressed -as Torpy. "It's awake, fellows! What's wrong with those sleeping -arrows--don't they work any more? I myself saw forty sticking in the -big Whatisit when he came pounding out of the pass. Hurry, hurry! let's -get him under ground!" And, seizing their picks and spades again, the -Gaper Guards began shoveling dirt into the pit, paying no attention -to Kabumpo's furious blasts and bellows, which grew wilder and more -anguished as he suddenly realized that Randy was no longer beside him. - -"What have you done with the boy? Halt! Stop! How dare you cast dirt on -an Imperial Prince of Pumperdink or try to bury the Elegant Elephant of -Oz?" - -Shaking the mud from his head and raising his trunk, Kabumpo let out -such an ear-splitting trumpet, twenty Wakes fell to their knees, and -the others dropped pick and shovel and stared at him in positive dismay. - -"But, sir, it is quite customary to bury all visitors," quavered Torpy -as soon as he could make himself heard. "We'll dig you up in six months -and you'll be good as new. Our dormitories are so very comfortable, -and all Gapers lie dormant for six months!" - -"But I'm not a GAPER," screamed Kabumpo, interrupting himself with a -yawn both wide and gusty. - -"Oh, but you soon will be," asserted Torpy, squinting down at him -earnestly. "Why, you're gaping already. Now lie down like a good beast. -Sleeping underground is lovely." - -"LOVELY!" repeated all the rest of the Wakes, beginning to croon as -they shoveled. Kabumpo, opening his mouth to protest again, caught a -bushel of earth between his tusks and, half choked and blind with rage, -the Elegant Elephant hurled himself at the side of the pit. He could -almost reach the top with his trunk and, as the Wakes squealing with -alarm shoveled faster and faster, he wound his trunk round an old tree -stump and by main strength hauled himself up over the edge. - -"NOW!" he bellowed, spreading his ears like sails. "Where have you -buried the boy? Quick, speak up or I'll pound you to splinters." - -Snatching a log in his trunk, Kabumpo surged forward. But the terrified -Wakes, instead of answering, fled for their lives, leaving Kabumpo all -alone in the ghostly little valley. - -"Randy! Randy, where are you? Oh, my poor boy, are you suffocated?" - -Galloping this way and that, Kabumpo peered desperately about for a -patch of newly turned earth. But only the wind whistling drearily -through the dead branches of the pine trees came to answer him. Frantic -with worry, the Elegant Elephant began pounding with his log on the -headstones of the dormant Gapers, trumpeting at the same time in a way -to wake the dead. - - - - -CHAPTER 4 - -Out of Gaper's Gulch - - -Now the Gapers were not dead, but only sleeping, and soon the dormant -natives of this strange Hibernation lifted up their headstones and -began blinking out indignantly to see what and who had got loose in -their quiet valley. - -"Silence! Cease! Desist!" shuddered Sleeperoo the Great and Snorious, -holding up his headstone with one hand and waving his other arm feebly -at Kabumpo. "A bit more of that racket and we'll be roused for months. -Who are you? And what is the meaning of all this Hah Hoh Humbuggery?" - -Gaping ten times in quick succession, Sleeperoo stuck out his lip at -the Elegant Elephant. Kabumpo, startled by the spectacle of a hundred -lifted headstones and the round dirty moonlike faces gaping up at him, -said nothing for a whole minute. Then, stepping over to the Chief -Gaper, he burst out angrily: - -"I am a traveler whom your guards stuck full of arrows and then tried -to bury. The young King who was with me has disappeared. I, the Elegant -Elephant of Oz and Pumperdink, DEMAND his release. What have you done -with the King of Regalia? Produce him at once, or I'll stand here and -trumpet till doomsday!" - -To show he meant what he said, Kabumpo let out such a terrific blast -the headstones of his listeners rocked and shivered. - -"Oh, my head! My ears! My ears, my dears! Give him what he's yelling -for," sobbed Sleeperoo, crouching under his headstone as Kabumpo lifted -his trunk for another trumpet. - -"Is this--a--king?" called a fretful voice, and, lurching round, -Kabumpo saw a fat old Gaper now half-way above ground. Balancing his -stone on his fat head, he held Randy out at arm's length. "Instead of -digging him a proper bed, they stuck him in with me," he complained. -"Here, take him--he kicks like a mule and I can't abide a kicker." -With a relieved grunt, Kabumpo snatched Randy from the Gaper's damp -clutches, thankful the boy still had strength enough to kick. Randy's -face was quite pale and covered with dirt, but after a few anxious -shakes he opened his eyes and looked confusedly round him. - -"It's nothing," sniffed Kabumpo. "It's quite all right, my boy. You've -just been buried to the ears and sleeping with a ground-hog." - -"Buried?" shivered Randy, as Kabumpo set him gently on his back. - -"Not buried at all, just lying dormant as a sensible body should," -corrected the old Gaper, dropping out of sight with a slam of his -headstone. - -"Go away! Please go away!" begged Sleeperoo, as Kabumpo began stepping -gingerly between the stones. "You're ruining our rest, you big bullying -Behemoth!" - -"I'll not stir a step till you send a guide to lead me out of this -gulch," declared Kabumpo. "Call a guard or I'll call one myself." - -"No. No! Please NOT! Torpy Snorpy--I say, Torpy," wheezed Sleeperoo, -stretching up his thin neck. "Come, come all of you at once. At ONCE!" - -As quickly as they had vanished, the Wakes slid from behind boulders -and trees and up out of rocky crevices, their buttons twinkling -cheerfully in the dark. - -"Conduct these travelers to the head of the valley," ordered Sleeperoo, -with a weak wave at the Gaper Guards. - -"I thought this was a gulch," yawned Kabumpo, while Randy began to -shake the dirt from his hair and ears. - -"A gulch is a valley," sniffed Sleeperoo, lowering himself crossly. -"Look it up in any pictionary. A gulch is a valley or chasm." - -"And Gaper's Gulch is a yawning chasm," mumbled Kabumpo, as the Chief -Gaper and all the others began ducking back into their holes like -rabbits into warrens. "Good night to you," he added, as the last stone -slammed down. "Now, then, you boys fetch my head-piece and robe from -that pit and let's start on." - -Kabumpo spoke so sharply ten Wakes sprang to obey, and after they -had brought them and both had been adjusted to Kabumpo's liking, he -signaled imperiously for Torpy and Snorpy to lead the way, and their -companions took thankfully to their heels. For a while the two little -Wakes marched ahead in a subdued silence as the Elegant Elephant picked -his way around rocks and tree stumps. - -"Not mad, I hope?" Torpy, most talkative of the two, looked anxiously -over his shoulder. - -"No, no--certainly not. I don't know when I've spent a more delightful -evening," Kabumpo said. "Being stuck full of arrows and then buried -alive is such splendid entertainment." - -"Oh, I say now, we cannot all be alike," put in Snorpy, coming to the -rescue of his embarrassed companion. "If those arrows had taken effect, -you'd have been dead asleep before we buried you, and known nothing for -six months. That's a lot of sleep to miss, Mister--er--Mister?" - -"Kabumpo," chuckled Randy, who was now wide awake and quite recovered -from his harrowing experience. "But you see, Kabumpo and I sleep every -night and not all in one stretch as you do." - -"More trouble that way," murmured Snorpy, shaking his head -disapprovingly. "Keeps you hopping up and down all the time. In the -Gulch we sleep half the year and then we are done with it." - -"And what do you do when you are not sleeping?" inquired Kabumpo, -stifling a yawn with his trunk. - -"We eat," grinned Snorpy, his eyes twinkling brighter than his buttons. -"Breakfast from July first to August thirty-first; lunch from September -first till October thirty-first; and dinner from November first till -New Year's." - -"You mean you eat straight through without stopping?" gasped Randy, -raising himself on one elbow. "All the time you're awake? Don't you -ever work, play or go on journeys?" - -"I do not know what you mean by 'work, play and going on journeys,' -but whatever they are, we don't. We eat and sleep, sleep and eat and -everything is perfectly gorgeous," confided the Wake with a satisfied -skip. - -"Gorging is gorgeous to some people, I suppose." Kabumpo tossed his -head to show it was not his way. "Then how is it you fellows are not -sleeping along with the other Gapers?" - -"Oh, we're trained to sleep in summer and fall and to eat in winter and -spring. The Winks are not so clever at staying awake as we are, but -they'll learn, and meanwhile the pebbles keep them fairly active." - -"Yes, active enough to shoot at visitors," grunted Kabumpo, winking -back at Randy. "Do you shoot one another asleep or is that a special -treat you reserve for travelers?" - -"We just shoot at travelers," admitted Snorpy, quite cheerfully. -"Otherwise they would interfere with our customs, interrupt our -sleeping and eating and wake us up out of season." - -"Just as we did," chuckled Randy. "I suppose we interrupted your -dinner, this being one of the dinner months?" Both Guards nodded, -exchanging pleased little smiles. - -"Come on back and have a bite with us," invited Snorpy generously. -"We've weak fish for the first week, chops for the second--" - -Randy, tugging at Kabumpo's collar, begged him to stop, for Randy was -hungry as a brace of bears, but the Elegant Elephant, shaking his -head till all his jewels rattled, declined the invitation with great -firmness. - -"No knowing what will come of it," he whispered to his disappointed -young comrade. "Might put us to sleep for a century and it's about all -I can do to keep my eyes open now. Wait till we're out of this goopy -gulch, my lad, and we'll eat and sleep like gentlemen. After all, we -are gentlemen and not ground-hogs." - -Urging his guides to greater speed, the weary beast pushed doggedly -on through the brush and stubble. Snorpy and Torpy, insulted by the -shortness with which the Elegant Elephant had refused their invitation, -had little more to say, and in less than an hour had brought the -travelers to the end of the rocky little valley. From where they stood, -a crooked path wound crazily upward, and with a silent wave aloft the -two Wakes turned and ran. - -"Back to their dinner," sighed Randy, looking hungrily after them. -But Kabumpo, charmed to see the last of the ghostly gulch and its -inhabitants, began to ascend the path, not even stopping for breath -till he had come to the top. Even after this, he traveled on for about -five miles to make sure no sleepy vapors or Gapers would trouble them -again. The moon had waned and the stars grown faint as he stopped -at last in a small patch of woodland. Here, without removing his -head-piece or robe, Kabumpo braced his back against a mighty oak -and fell asleep on his feet, and Randy, soothed and rocked by his -tremendous snores, soon closed his eyes and slept also. - - - - -CHAPTER 5 - -Headway - - -When Randy wakened, Kabumpo had already started on, grumbling under -his breath, because nowhere in sight was there a green bush, a tree or -anything at all that an elephant or little boy might eat. - -"Where are we?" yawned Randy, sitting up and rubbing his eyes with his -knuckles. "Great Gillikens, this is as bad as Gaper's Gulch!" - -"All the countries bordering on the Deadly Desert are queer no-count -little places," sniffed the Elegant Elephant, angrily jerking his robe -off a cactus. "And from the feel of the air, we must be near the -desert now." - -At mention of the Deadly Desert, Randy lapsed into an uneasy silence, -for how could they ever cross this tract of burning sand, and how could -they reach Ev or Jinnicky's castles unless they did cross it? While -this vast belt of destroying sand effectively kept enemies out of Oz, -it also kept the Ozians in. - -"If we only had some of Jinnicky's magic or even his silver dinner bell -to bring us a good breakfast!" sighed Randy, glancing round hungrily. -"Pretty stupid of me not to have brought along a lunch, and there's not -even a brook or stream in this miserable little patch of woods where a -body could quench his thirst. Maybe it will rain, and that would help a -little." - -"Maybe," admitted Kabumpo, squinting up at the leaden sky. "Anyway, -here we are out of the woods, but take a look at those rocks!" - -"And those heads behind the rocks," whispered Randy, clutching -Kabumpo's collar. - -"There's something pretty odd about those heads, if you ask me," -wheezed the Elegant Elephant, curling up his trunk. "Odd or I'm losing -my eye and ear sight." - -"Odd!" hissed Randy, tightening his hold on Kabumpo's collar. "Good -goats and gravy! They're flying round loose like birds. Why, they've -got no bodies on 'em, no bodies at all!" - -"Read the sign," directed Kabumpo, uncurling his trunk and pointing -to a crude warning scratched on a flat slab at the edge of the road -leading to the rocky promontory above. - -"Heads up! This road leads to Headland, nobody's allowed." - -"Humph! Well, we won't make much headway without our bodies," grunted -Kabumpo, as Randy read the message slowly to himself. "Such impudence! -Why should we pay any attention to such stuff? Bodies or not, we're -going on, and how can fellows minus feet and arms hope to stop us?" - -"They might crash down on us with their heads," worried Randy, as an -angry flock of Headmen circled round and round at the top of the road, -"and those heads look hard." - -"Not any harder than mine. Keep your crown on, Randy," advised Kabumpo -grimly, "the spikes will dent 'em good, and if you reach down in my -left-hand pocket you'll find a short club. The club will be better than -your sword; you can't cut a head off no neck and besides we don't -really want to injure the pests. All ready? Then here we go!" - -Randy did not answer, for hooking his heels through Kabumpo's harness, -he was already delving into the capacious pocket on the left side of -the Elegant Elephant's robe, discovering not only a club, but a quiver -full of darts. Jerking himself upright, the club in one hand, the darts -in the other, he peered aloft with growing anxiety as foot over foot -Kabumpo climbed up the granite slope. The faces of the Headmen were -round and deeply wrinkled from the hot winds blowing off the desert; -their ears, huge and fan-shaped, flapped like wings, and like wings -propelled them through the air. Before Kabumpo reached the top, a whole -bevy came whizzing toward them, screaming out indignant threats and -warnings. - -"Off, be off!" they shouted hysterically. "Off with their arms, off -with their legs, off with their bodies! Halt! Stop! Begone, you -miserable creepy crawly creatures. You dare not set a foot on our -beautiful Headland." - -"Oh, daren't we?" Kabumpo shook his trunk belligerently. "And who is to -stop us, pray?" - -"I am," rasped the ugliest of the Headmen. Snatching a coil of wire -from a niche in the rocks with his teeth, the ugly little Mugly came -flapping toward them. Another of the Headmen hastened to seize the -opposite end of the wire in his teeth and, stretching it between them, -they came rushing on. - -"Watch out!" warned Randy, dropping flat between Kabumpo's ears. -"They're going to trip you up." - -"Wrong, how wrong," chattered all the Headmen, bobbing up and down like -balloons let off their strings. "They're going to cut off his body," -confided one of the long-nosed tribesmen, zooming down to whisper this -information in Randy's ear. "The creature's head is welcome enough -and with those enormous ears he'll have no trouble flying, but his -body--oh, his body is awful and must stay behind. And your body, too, -you little monster, we'll cut that off too," promised the Headman -in his oily voice. "What use is a body, anyway? I see you have very -small ears, but they can be stretched. And just wait till you've been -debodicated, you'll feel so right and light and flighty." - -"Help! Stop! Help! Help!" screamed Randy, as the ugly Mugly gave him a -playful nip on the ear. "Back up, Kabumpo, back down. They're going to -catch you in that wire and choke you." - -"Pah! nonsense," panted the Elegant Elephant. And heaving himself up -over the last barrier, he stepped confidently out on the rocky plateau. - -"Heads up! Heads up!" shrilled the Headmen, while the two with the -wire, deftly encircling Kabumpo's great neck, began to fly apart in -order to draw the noose tighter. Kabumpo ducked, but much too late, -and though his ferocious trumpeting sent swarms of Headmen fluttering -aloft, the two holding the wire stuck to their task, pulling and -jerking with all their teeth till Kabumpo's jeweled collar was pressing -uncomfortably into his throat. - -"Don't worry," he grunted gamely, "their teeth will give way before my -neck does. Calm yourself, my boy, ca--alm your--self." - -But how could Randy feel calm with his best friend in such a -predicament and already beginning to gasp for breath? Jumping up and -down on Kabumpo's back, he rattled his club valiantly, but the Headmen -were too high up for him to reach, and when at last he flung the -club with all his strength at the one on the left, it seemed to make -no impression at all on the hard head of the enemy. Redoubling his -efforts, he drew the wire tighter and tighter in his yellow teeth. In -desperation, Randy suddenly remembered the darts, and drawing one -from the quiver, sent it speeding upward. The first missed, but as the -Elegant Elephant began to sway and quiver beneath him, the second found -its mark, striking the Headman squarely in the middle of the forehead. -An expression of surprise and dismay overspread his wrinkled features, -and next instant, with a terrific yawn, he dropped the wire and fell -headlong to the rocks, where he rolled over and over and over. - -"Great Goopers!" exclaimed Randy, hardly able to believe his luck. -"Why, he's not hurt at all, but has fallen asleep." - -"Watch the others, the--others!" gulped Kabumpo, shaking his head -in an effort to free it from the wire. Already another had flown to -take his fallen comrade's place, but before he could snatch the wire, -Randy brought him to earth with one of his sharply pointed darts. The -next who ventured he shot down too, and as the rest of the band came -swarming down to see what was happening, Randy sent arrow after arrow -winging into their midst till the flat, smooth rock was dotted with -sleepy heads, for each one hit promptly fell asleep. Though his arm -ached and his heart thumped uncomfortably, Randy did not even pause -for breath till he had sent the last arrow into the air, and then quite -suddenly he realized he had won this strange and ridiculous battle. -More than half of the ear-men, as he could not help calling them to -himself, lay snoring on the ground; the rest with terrified shrieks and -whistles were flapping off as fast as their ears would carry them. Now -entirely free of the wire, but still trembling and gasping, Kabumpo -stared angrily after them. - -"What I cannot understand," puffed Randy, sliding to the ground to -examine a group of the enemy, "is what put them to sleep? I thought -your darts might hurt or head them off or puncture them like balloons, -but instead--here they are asleep, and How asleep! Shall I pull out -the arrows? I might need them later." - -"They're not MY arrows," Kabumpo said, wrinkling his forehead in -a puzzled frown. "I didn't have any arrows, but Ha, Ha, Kerumph!" -The Elegant Elephant began to shake all over. "They must be Gaper -Arrows--the Wakes must have stuck them in my pocket when they fetched -my robe and head-piece. Pretty cute of the little rascals, at that. -Why, these must be the same arrows the Winks shot at me, Randy, but my -hide was too tough for them and they didn't work." - -"Well, they certainly made short work of the Headmen," said Randy, -turning one over gently with his foot. "Goodness! I thought you'd be -choked and done for, old fellow!" - -"Who, ME? Nonsense! My neck would have broken their teeth in another -minute or two." - -"Well, then, shall I pull out the arrows?" asked Randy, who had his own -opinion about Kabumpo's narrow escape. "We could use them again some -time." - -"No, NO! Leave them in! So long as those arrows stick fast the little -villains will sleep fast and that's the only way I can stand 'em." - -"But suppose the others fly back?" Randy still hesitated. - -"Pooh! Don't you worry about that." Kabumpo raised his trunk -scornfully. "They're frightened out of their wits and probably half way -to the Sapphire City by this time. And when they do come back, we won't -be here." - -"Won't we?" Dubiously Randy began to pace across the bare and arid -plateau. "I certainly don't think much of Headland, do you?" - -"I wouldn't have it for a gift, even if they threw in a tusk brush and -diamond earrings besides!" snorted Kabumpo. "Why, it's nothing but a -humpy bumpy acre of rock without a tree, a house, a bird or even a -blade of grass. I'd give the whole country for a mouthful of hay or a -bucketful of water!" - -"We might find a spring among the rocks," proposed Randy, hurrying -along hopefully. - -"More likely a fall," predicted Kabumpo, trudging gloomily behind him. -But just then, Randy, who had vanished behind a sizable boulder, gave -an excited whoop. - -"Hi, yi, Kabumpo! We're here! We're here, right on the edge of it!" he -shouted vociferously. "LOOK!" The Elegant Elephant, pushing round the -rock, did look, then, mopping his forehead with the tip of his robe, -sank heavily to his haunches and for a moment neither said a word. For, -truly enough, the jagged point of Headland projected over the desert -as a high cliff hangs over the sea. Below, the seething sand smoked, -churned and tumbled, sending up sulphurous waves of heat that made both -travelers cough and splutter. - -"So, all we have to do is cross," gasped Randy, dashing the tears -brought by the smoke out of his eyes. - -"And a simple thing that will be," grunted the Elegant Elephant -sarcastically, "seeing that one foot on the sand spells instant -destruction. If we could just flap our ears like the Headmen, we could -fly across." - -"But as we can't," sighed Randy, seating himself despondently on a -boulder. "What are we to do?" - -"Well, that remains to be seen," muttered Kabumpo, who had not the -faintest notion. "'Never cross a Deadly Desert on an empty stomach,' is -my motto, and I'm going to stick to it." - -"Sticking to mottoes won't get us anywhere," Randy said, skimming a -stone off the edge and watching with a little shudder as it was sucked -down into the whirling sand. "Doesn't that desert make you thirsty? -Goopers, if I had a dipperful of water I'd gladly do without the -breakfast." - -"Humph! looks as if you might have that wish." Feeling hurriedly in the -right pocket of his robe, Kabumpo dragged out a waterproof as large -as a tent. "Just spread this over me, will you?" he puffed anxiously. -"Storm coming. Hear that thunder? Storm coming." - -"Coming?" cried Randy, springing up to help Kabumpo with the buckles. -"Why, it's here." He had to raise his voice to a scream to make himself -heard above the gale that, arising apparently from nowhere, struck them -furiously from behind. He had just fastened the last strap of the -waterproof to Kabumpo's left ankle when the rain swept down in perfect -torrents; rain, accompanied by hailstones as big as Easter eggs. There -was ample room for Randy beneath the Elegant Elephant, and standing -between his front legs the young monarch lifted the waterproof, and -reaching out caught a huge hailstone in his hand. Touching it against -his parched lips, Randy gave a sigh of content, then crunching it up -rapturously, stuck out his head and let the pelting downpour cool his -hot and dusty face. - -"Wonder if this will put out the desert?" he mused, ducking back as a -terrible clap of thunder boomed like a cannon shot overhead. "SAY, it's -a lucky thing you're so big, Kabumpo," he called up cheerily, "or we'd -be blown away. Whee--listen to that wind, would you!" - -"Have to do more than listen," howled the Elegant Elephant, bracing -his feet and lowering his head. "Ahoy! below--catch hold of something, -Randy! Help! Hi! Hold on! HOLD ON! For the love of blue--mountains! -Here we GO! Here we blow! Oooomph! Bloomph! Ker--AHHHHH!" - -"Oh, no, Kabumpo! NO!" Leaping up, Randy caught the Elegant Elephant's -broad belt. "Put on--the brakes! Quick!" And Kabumpo did try making a -futile stand against the tearing wind. But the mighty gale, whistling -under his waterproof filled it up and out like a balloon, and with a -regular ferry-boat blast, Kabumpo rose into the air and zoomed like a -Zeppelin over the Deadly Desert, while Randy, hanging grimly to the -strap of his belt, banged to and fro like the clapper on a bell. - - - - -CHAPTER 6 - -The Other Side of the Desert - - -Remembering the deadly and destroying nature of the sands below, Randy -did not dare to look down. Besides, holding on took all his strength -and attention, for Kabumpo was borne like a leaf before the howling -gale, faster and faster and faster, till he and Randy were too dazed -and dizzy to know or care how far they had gone or where they were -blowing to. Which was perhaps just as well, for, as suddenly as it had -risen, the gale abated and, coasting down the last high hill of the -wind, saved from a serious crash only by his faithful tarpaulin, which -now acted as a parachute, Kabumpo came jolting to earth. With closed -eyes and trunk held stiffly before him, the Elegant Elephant remained -perfectly motionless awaiting destruction and wondering vaguely how -it would feel. He was convinced that they had come down on the desert -itself. Then, as no fierce blasts of heat assailed him, he ventured -to open one eye. Randy, shaken loose by the force of the landing, had -rolled to the ground a few feet away, and now, jumping to his feet, -cried joyously: - -"Why, it's over, Kabumpo--over, and so are we! Ho! I never knew you -could fly, old Push-the-Foot." - -"Neither did I," shuddered the Elegant Elephant, and jerking off the -waterproof he flung it as hard and as far as he could. - -"Oh, don't do that!" Randy dashed away to pick it up. "That good old -coat saved our bacon and ballooned us across the desert as light as a -couple of daisies." - -"But we're no better off on this side than on the other," grumbled -Kabumpo, surveying the barren countryside with positive hatred. "Not a -house, a field, a farm or a castle in sight." - -"The idea was to get away from castles, wasn't it?" Randy grinned up -at his huge friend and, folding the waterproof into a neat packet, -tucked it back in its place. - -"Well, there's one thing about castles," observed the Elegant Elephant, -giving his robe a quick tug here and there. "At least, the food's -regular. I could eat a royal dinner from soup to napkins." - -"Give me a boost up that tree and I'll have a look around," proposed -Randy. - -"Need a spy-glass to find anything worth looking at in this country," -complained Kabumpo, lifting Randy into the fork of a gnarled old tree. -Shinning expertly up the rough trunk, Randy looked carefully in all -directions. - -"We certainly cleared the desert by a nice margin," he called down -gaily. "It's at least a mile behind us, and toward the east I see a -cluster of white towers that might be a castle." - -"And nothing between," mourned Kabumpo with a hungry swallow. "No -fields, orchards or melon patches?" - -"There are fields, but they're too far away for me to see what's -growing, and there's a forest too. What country is this, Kabumpo? Do -you know?" - -"Depends on how we blew," answered the Elegant Elephant, lifting Randy -out of the tree and tossing him lightly over his shoulder. "If we blew -straight from Headland, which is certainly the northwestern tip of the -Gilliken Country of Oz, we should be in No Land. If we blew slantwise, -this would be Ix." - -"Then I hope we blew slantwise." Randy spread himself out luxuriantly -behind Kabumpo's ears. "For if we are in Ix, we have only one country -to cross before we reach Ev and Jinnicky's castle." - -"And the sooner we start, the sooner we'll arrive," agreed Kabumpo, -swinging into motion. "But if I drop in my tracks, boy, don't be too -surprised. I'm hollow as a drum and weak as a violet." - -"Too bad we're not like the Headmen," said Randy, who felt dreadfully -hollow himself. "Without a body, I suppose one does not feel hungry. -Wonder what became of them, anyway?" - -"Who cares?" sniffed Kabumpo, picking his way crossly through the rocks -and brambles. "They probably blew about for a while, but with ears like -sails, what's a gale of wind or weather? Ho! what's that I see yonder, -a farmer?" - -"No, just a hat stuck on a pole to scare away the crows," Randy told -him after a careful squint. "But nothing grows in the field but rocks, -so why do they bother?" - -"Did you say a 'hat'?" Kabumpo's small eyes began to burn and twinkle, -and breaking into a run he was across the field like a flash. - -"Kabumpo!" gasped Randy, as the Elegant Elephant snatched the hat from -the pole and took a huge bite from the brim. "Surely, surely you're not -going to eat that old hat?" - -"Why not?" demanded the Elegant Elephant, cramming the rest of the hat -into his mouth and crunching it up with great gusto. "It's straw, isn't -it? A little old and tough, to be sure, but nourishing, and anyway -better than nothing!" Almost strangling on the crown, Kabumpo glanced -sharply across the field, then looked apologetically back at his young -rider. "Great Gooselberries," he muttered contritely, "I'm sorry as a -goat. Why, I never saved you even an edge!" - -"Oh, never mind," choked Randy, holding his sides at the very idea of -such a thing. "Even if I were starving, I couldn't eat a hat. But look, -old Push-the-Foot, isn't that a barn showing over the top of that hill?" - -"Barn!" wheezed Kabumpo, lifting his trunk joyfully. "Why, so it is! -Ho! This is something like!" And hiccoughing excitedly, from the -effects of the hat, no doubt, Kabumpo went galloping over the brow of -the little hill. - -A pleasant valley dotted with small farms stretched out below. Randy -was relieved to note that its inhabitants were usual-looking beings -like himself. Children rode gleefully on wagons piled high with -hay. Farmers in wide-brimmed yellow hats, rather like those worn by -the Winkies in Oz, worked placidly in the fields. Everyone seemed -contented, calm and happy; that is, until Kabumpo, delighted to -find himself again in a land of plenty, came charging down the hill -trumpeting like a whole band of music. - -"Oh, too bad, you've frightened them nearly out of their wits," mourned -Randy, hanging on to Kabumpo's collar to keep his balance as the -Elegant Elephant, forgetting his elegance, made a dash for the nearest -hayrick. - -"Help Hi--stop! Now see what you've done!" - -To tell the truth, the havoc ensuing was not all Kabumpo's fault. No -one in this tranquil valley of Ix had ever seen an elephant before, and -the sight of one rushing down upon them was so unnerving and strange -they fled in every direction, leaping into barns and houses, and -barring and double-barring the doors against this terrifying monster. -Horses hitched to their hay wagons cantered madly east and west, -and the air was filled with loud shrieks, neighs and the bellows of -stampeding cattle. - -"Such dummies!" panted Kabumpo, coming to a complete standstill. -"Well," he gave a tremendous sniff, "if they don't want to meet a King, -a Prince and the most elegant elephant in Oz, what do we care? I've -invited myself to breakfast anyhow, and they can like it or Kabump it. -Just wait till I load away one stack of this hay, my boy, and I'll find -you a breakfast fit for a King and Traveler." - -And the Elegant Elephant was good as his word. After tossing down -a great mound of new-mown hay, he swaggered over to the nearest -farmhouse. Pushing in the kitchen window with his trunk, he handed -up to Randy everything the little farmer's wife had on her kitchen -table--a bowl of milk, a pat of butter, a loaf of bread, a cold half -chicken and three hard-boiled eggs. - -"Do control yourself, madam," he advised, as the palpitating little -lady flattened herself against the opposite wall. "These pearls will -more than pay for your provisions." - -Afraid to touch the lovely chain Kabumpo placed on the table, the -little Ixey watched with round eyes as Kabumpo backed away. - -"Ho, I guess that will give her something to tell her grandchildren!" -snorted the Elegant Elephant. Randy was too busy taking rapturous -bites, first of bread and then of chicken, to answer. - -"Why is it that everything tastes so much better when you are -traveling?" he remarked a bit later, as he finished off the rest of the -chicken and put the bread, butter and eggs away for his lunch. - -"'Cause we're hungrier, I suppose," smiled Kabumpo, crossing another -field, "and then, there's the novelty." - -Recalling the straw hat with a little chuckle, Kabumpo winked back at -his young rider. - -"But now that we've breakfasted I think we'd better be moving. I see -some of these farmers gathering up their courage and their pitchforks -and I'm too full to fight." - -"Pooh! they couldn't hurt us," boasted Randy, stretching out -comfortably. "I rather wish they hadn't run off, though, I'd like to -ask them something about the country, and you know, Kabumpo--I've never -ridden on a hay wagon in all my life and I'd sorta like to try it." - -"That's the worst of being a King," observed Kabumpo, walking carefully -around a brown calf. "You miss a lot of the common and ordinary -pleasures. Hmm--mmn, let's see, now, all the horses have run off, but -there's still a heap of hay about--so why shouldn't you have a ride?" - -"Without any wagon?" inquired Randy, looking wistfully at the largest -of the haystacks. - -"Why not?" puffed Kabumpo, and lifting Randy hurriedly down from his -back, he rushed at the hayrick, burrowing into it with tusk, feet and -trunk till he was in the exact center. Then heaving up with his back -and forward with his trunk, he pushed till his head stuck out the other -side. "Come ON!" he grunted triumphantly. "You'll not only have your -hay ride, but I'll have my lunch!" - -Throwing Randy to the top of the load, the Elegant Elephant, looking -far from elegant, set off at a lumbersome gallop, carrying the haystack -right along with him. At sight of his prize hayrick apparently running -away by itself, the outraged owner stuck his head out of the window and -screamed. But that did not bother Kabumpo. The load was but a feather's -weight to him, and with the young King of Regalia dancing and yelling -on the top, he swept merrily through the startled valley. - -Those at the lower end who had not seen Kabumpo arrive, now catching -sight of a load of hay moving off by itself, simply fell against fences -and barn doors, blinking and gulping with astonishment, too stunned and -shocked to return the gay greetings of the nonchalant young Gilliken -riding the load. Kabumpo, sampling stray wisps as he ran and peering -out comically from under the hay, enjoyed to the utmost the sensation -he was causing. - -"Make a wish, my boy," he shouted exuberantly. "It's awfully lucky to -wish on the first load of hay." - -"Then I wish we would reach the Red Jinn's castle before night," -decided Randy. "And wouldn't Jinnicky laugh if he could see us now? Did -you leave a pearl for the hay, Kabumpo?" - -"Certainly," retorted the elephant, speaking rather stuffily through -the haystack. "We're travelers, not thieves. Hi! what's ahead, my lad? -This load has shifted a bit over my left eye and I can scarcely see out -of my right." - -"A dry river bed," called Randy, bouncing up and down with the keenest -enjoyment. "Go slow, old Push-the-Foot, or you'll lose your lunch." - -"Not on your life!" puffed the Elegant Elephant. "I'll stop and eat it -first. Ho--" - - "Hay foot, straw foot, any foot will do, - Down the bank and up the bank, and now, how is the view?" - -"Elegant," breathed Randy, grinning to himself at Kabumpo's verses. -"More fields--meadows--forests, everything!" - -"But even so, I smell sulphur!" Kabumpo moved his trunk slowly from -side to side. "Something's burning, my lad, and close at hand, too." - -"Why, it's a HORSE!" Randy's voice cracked from the sheer shock of the -thing. "And coming straight for us, too. Wait! Stop! Hold on! No, maybe -you'd better run. Great Gillikens, it's smoking!" - -"A pipe?" inquired Kabumpo, trying to see through the fringe of hay -that was obscuring his vision. "And what if it is? Am I, the Elegant -Elephant of Oz, to run from a mere and miserable equine?" - -"But this horse," squealed Randy, sliding head first off the haystack, -"this horse is different. Oh, really, REALLY, Kabumpo, I think we'd -better run." - -"Never!" Pushing the hay off his forehead with his trunk, Kabumpo -looked fiercely out, then, with a start that dislodged half the load, -he began backing off as rapidly as he could, dragging Randy along by -the tail of his coat. - - - - -CHAPTER 7 - -The Princess of Anuther Planet - - -Even so, Kabumpo was not fast enough, and as the immense black charger -with its tail and mane curling like smoke, its fiery nostrils flashing -flames a foot long, came galloping upon them, Randy flung himself face -down on the ground to escape its burning breath. The most terrifying -thing about the black steed was the complete silentness of its coming. -Its metal-shod feet struck the earth without making a sound, giving -Kabumpo such a sense of unreality he could not believe it was true, nor -move another step. In consequence, as the enormous animal swirled to -a halt before him, a dozen darting flames from its nostrils set fire to -the load of hay on his back, enveloping him in a hot and exceedingly -dangerous bonfire. - -Now thoroughly aroused, Kabumpo leapt this way and that, and Randy, -unmindful of his own danger, jumped up and tried to beat out the -fire with his cloak. But the hay blazed and crackled and the Elegant -Elephant would certainly have been roasted like a potato, had he not -reared up on his hind legs and let the whole burning burden slide -from his back. Scorched and infuriated, his royal robes burned and -blackened, Kabumpo backed into a handy brook and sat down, from which -position he glared with positive hatred at his prancing adversary. But -a complete change had come over this strange and unbelievable steed; -his nostrils no longer spurted flames and as Randy plumped down beside -Kabumpo, deciding this was the safest spot for both of them, the lordly -creature dropped to its knees and touched its forehead three times to -the earth. - -"Away, away! You big meddlesome menace!" panted the Elegant Elephant, -throwing up his trunk. "Begone, you good-for-nothing hay burner!" - -"But, Kabumpo," pleaded Randy, as the horse, paying no attention to the -Elegant Elephant's angry screeches, began throwing little puffs of red -smoke into the air, "he's trying to give us a message. LOOK!" - -"Hail and salutations!" The words floated out smoothly and ranged -themselves in a neat line. "I hereby acknowledge you as my master! I -can flash fire from the eye, the nose and the mouth; but you--you flash -fire from the whole body! Hail and salutations from Thun, the Thunder -Colt. Yonder rests my Mistress Planetty, Princess of Anuther Planet! -Who are you, great-and-much-to-be-envied spurter of fire?" - -"Sky writing!" gasped Randy. "Oh, Kabumpo, how're we going to -answer? He did not hear your scolding. I don't believe he can hear -at all. Fire spurter! Ho, ho! And HOW are you going to keep up that -reputation?" - -"I'm not!" grunted Kabumpo, but in a much less savage voice, for he was -almost completely won over by the Thunder Colt's flattery. "Hmmm-hhh, -let me see, now, couldn't we signal to the silly brute? There he stands -looking up in the air for an answer." - -"Well," Randy said, "with your trunk and my arms we could form any -number of letters, so--" - -"This is Kabumpo, Elegant Elephant of Oz. I am Randy, King of Regalia." - -With infinite pains and patience the two spelled out the message. -Puzzled at first, then seeming to understand, Thun's clear yellow eyes -snapped and twinkled with interest. Tossing his smoky mane, he puffed a -single word into the air. "Come!" Then away he flashed at his noiseless -gallop. - -"Shall we?" cried Randy, jumping out of the creek, for he was curious -to know more about the Thunder Colt and to meet the Princess of Anuther -Planet. "Are you cooled off? Did the water put you out?" - -"Oh, I'm put out all right," grumbled Kabumpo, lurching up the bank. -"Very put out and in splendid shape to meet a Princess, I must say." - -"Come on, you don't look so bad," urged Randy, tugging impatiently at -his tusk, while Kabumpo himself endeavored to wring the water out of -his robe with his trunk. "Even without any trappings or jewels at all, -you'd stand out in any company. There's nobody bigger or handsomer than -you, Kabumpo! Know it?" - -"HAH!" The Elegant Elephant let go his robe and gave Randy a quick -embrace. "Then what are we waiting for, little Braggerwagger?" - -Tossing the young monarch lightly over his shoulder, the Elegant -Elephant started after the Thunder Colt, moving almost as smoothly and -silently as Thun himself. Without one look behind, Thun had disappeared -into a green forest, and how cool and delicious it seemed to Randy -and Kabumpo after the dry desert lands they had been traversing. -Flashing in and out between the tall trees, the Thunder Colt led them -to an ancient oak, set by itself in a little clearing. Here, leaning -thoughtfully against the bole of the tree, stood the little Princess of -Anuther Planet. - -Kabumpo, recognizing royalty at once when he saw it, lifted his trunk -in a grave and dignified salute. Randy bowed, but in such a daze of -surprise and admiration he scarcely knew he was bowing. The small -figure under the oak was strange and beautiful beyond description, -giving an impression both of strength and delicacy. Planetty was -fashioned of tiny meshed links, fine as the chain mail worn by medieval -knights, of a metal that resembled silver, but which at the same time -was iridescent and sparkling as glass. Yet the Princess of Anuther -Planet was live and soft as Randy's own flesh-and-bone self. Her eyes -were clear and yellow like Thun's; her hair, a cascade of gossamer -net, sprayed out over her shoulders and fell half-way to her feet. -Planetty's garments, trim and shaped to her figure, were of some -veil-like net, and, floating from her shoulders, was a cloak of larger -meshed metal thread almost like a fisherman's net. - -"Highnesses, Highness! Oh, very high Highnesses!" Prancing lightly -before her, Thun puffed his announcement importantly into the air. -"Here you see Kabumpty, Nelegant Nelephant of Noz, and Sandy, King of -Segalia." - -"Oh, my goodness! He has us all mixed up," worried Randy in a whispered -aside to Kabumpo, whose ears had gone straight back at the dreadful -name Thun had fastened upon him. - -"Never mind, I too am mixed up. Everything down here is too perfectly -lettling." - -"Oh, you can speak?" Leaning forward, Randy gazed delightedly down at -the little metal maiden. He had been afraid at first she would use the -same sky-writing talk as Thun. - -"But surely," smiled Planetty, each word striking the air with the -distinctness of a silver bell, so that Randy was almost as interested -in the tune as in the sense. "Only the creature folk on Anuther Planet -are without power of speech or sound making. They must go soft and -silently. That is the lenith law." - -"And a good law, too," observed Kabumpo, looking resentfully up at the -Thunder Colt's fading message. "Permit me to introduce myself again. -Your Highness, I am Kabumpo, Elegant Elephant of Oz, and this is Randy, -King of Regalia, which is also in Oz." - -"Oz?" marveled Planetty, lifting her spear-like silver staff, whose -tip, ending in three metal links, fascinated Randy. "Is this, then, -the Planet of Oz? And what are those, and these, and this?" In rapid -succession the little Princess touched a cluster of violets growing -round the base of the oak, a moss-covered rock and the tall tree itself. - -"Why, flowers, rocks and a tree," laughed Randy. "Surely you must have -flowers, trees and rocks on Anuther Planet." - -"No, no, nothing like this--all these colors and shapes. Everything on -my planet is flat and greyling." The metal maiden raised her hands, as -she searched for the right words to explain Anuther Planet. "It is all -so different with us," she confessed, dropping her arms to her side. -"Yonder, we have zonitors; not trees, but tall shafts of metal to which -we fasten our nets when we sleep or rest. Underfoot we have network of -various sizes and thicknesses with here and there sprays of vanadium. -In our vanadium springs we freshen and renew ourselves, and without -them we stiffen and cease to move." - -With one finger pressed to his forehead, Randy tried to visualize -Planetty's strange greyling world, but Kabumpo, ever more practical, -inquired sharply: - -"And how often must you refresh and renew yourselves, Princess?" - -"Every sonestor in the earling," answered the Princess with a bright -nod. - -Thun, tiring of a conversation he could not hear, had cantered off to -investigate a rabbit, and Randy, sliding to the ground, came over to -stand nearer to this strange little Princess. - -"Kabumpo and I do not understand all those words," he told her gently. -"'Sonestor--earling'--what do they mean?" - -"Why, a sonestor," trilled Planetty, throwing back her head and showing -all of her tiny silver teeth, "is one dark, one light, one dark, one -light, one dark, one light, one dark, one light, one dark, one light, -one dark, one light, one dark, one light, and earling is when you waken -from ret." - -"Help!" shuddered Kabumpo shaking his ears as if he had a bee in them. - -"I know what she means," crowed Randy, snapping his fingers gleefully. -"A sonestor on Anuther Planet is the same as a week here; all those -lights and darks are days, and earling is the morning and ret is rest!" - -"Then, do you realize," worried Kabumpo, as Planetty looked -questioningly from one to the other, "that if this little lady and her -colt are separated from their vanadium springs for a week, they will -become stiff, motionless statues? And that--" the Elegant Elephant -looked the pretty little Princess first up and then down. "That would -be a great pity! We must help them back to Anuther Planet as soon as we -can, my boy." - -"Yes, yes, that is what you must do," Planetty clapped her small -silvery hands and blew a kiss to the elephant. "If Thun had just not -jumped on that thunderbolt!" - -"Jumped on a thunderbolt, did he?" A reluctant admiration crept into -Kabumpo's voice. The Princess nodded so emphatically her long, lovely -hair danced and shimmered round her face like a cloud shot with -starlight. - -"You see," she went on gravely, "we were on our way to a zorodell." -Kabumpo and Randy exchanged startled glances, but, realizing there -would be many odd words in Planetty's language, did not interrupt her. -"And half-way there," continued Planetty calmly, "a dreadful storm -overtook us. A bright flash of lightning frightened Thun, and though -I signaled for him to stop, he sprang right up on a huge glowing -thunderbolt that had fallen across the netway, and it fell and fell and -fell--bringing us to where we now are." - -"Well, that's one way of going places," commented Kabumpo, swinging his -trunk from side to side. - -"But how can we find Anuther Planet when none of us fly?" demanded -Randy anxiously. "It must be miles above this country, for think how -fast and far thunderbolts fall when they fall." - -"Now you've forgotten the Red Jinn," boomed Kabumpo, winking meaningly -at the young King, for at Randy's words the little Princess had covered -her face with her hands and three yellow jewels had trickled through -her fingers. "Jinnicky can help Planetty and Thun go any place they -wish," insisted Kabumpo in his loud challenging bass. "Come, Princess, -summon your fire-breathing steed, and we will travel on to the most -powerful wizard in Ev." - -"Ev? Wizard? Oh, how gay it all sounds." Planetty's voice rang out -merrily as Christmas bells. With a lively skip she tapped her staff -three times on the ground, and Thun, though out of sight, came -instantly bounding back to his little mistress. Vaulting easily upon -his back, the Princess of Anuther Planet lifted her staff, and Kabumpo, -picking up Randy, started away like a whole conquering army. - - - - -CHAPTER 8 - -On to Ev - - -"Is there any way you can signal to your mount to trot ahead?" inquired -Kabumpo, looking down sideways at the Thunder Colt, whose breath was -blowing hot and uncomfortable against his side. "Let Thun be the -vanguard," he suggested craftily. "When I trumpet once, turn him left; -at two, turn right; at three, he must halt." - -"Oh, fine," approved Planetty, tapping out the message with her heel on -the Thunder Colt's flank. "That will be simply delishicus." - -Thun evidently agreed with her, for, tossing his smoky mane, he -cantered to a position just ahead of the Elegant Elephant, at which -Kabumpo heaved a huge sigh of relief. He did not wish to hurt Thun's -feelings, neither did he wish to catch fire again. - -"Here travel Thun, the Thunder Colt, Planetty, Princess of Anuther -Planet; Kabumpty of Noz; and Slandy, King of Segalia! Give way, all ye -comers and goers, and arouse me not, for I am a seething mass of molten -metal!" - -"Is he really?" marveled Randy, gazing up at the fiery message floating -like a banner over their heads. Planetty nodded absently, her interest -so taken up with the wild flowers below, the blue sky above, and the -wide-armed, lacy-leafed trees of this ancient forest she could not bear -to turn her head for fear of missing something. On her own far-away -metal planet, skies were grey and leaden, and the various levels of -slate and silver strata arranged in stiff and net-like patterns. The -gay colors of this bright new world simply delighted her, and Randy and -Kabumpo she considered beings of rare and singular beauty. The word -she used to herself when she thought of them was "netiful," which is -Anuther way of saying beautiful. - -"A wonder that high-talking Thomas couldn't get a name straight once -in a while!" complained Kabumpo out of one corner of his mouth, as -Thun's sentence spiraled away in thin pink smoke. - -"Oh, what difference does it make?" laughed Randy. "I think 'Kabumpty' -is real cute." - -"CUTE!" raged the Elegant Elephant with such a fierce blast Planetty -promptly turned Thun to the left. - -"Now see what you've done," snickered Randy, giving Kabumpo's ear a -mischievous tweak. "They think you want them to go left." - -"As a matter of fact, I do," snapped Kabumpo grumpily. "We must go east -through Ix and then north to Ev." - -"Puzzling and more puzzling," murmured Planetty, looking round at the -Elegant Elephant. "Where are all these curious places, Bumpo dear? I -thought all the time we were in Noz. Did you not tell us you were the -Big Bumpo of Noz?" - -Randy peered rather anxiously over Kabumpo's ear to see how he was -taking this second nickname, but he need not have worried. The "dear -Bumpo," spoken in the metal maid's ringing tones, fell like a charm -on Kabumpo's ruffled feelings. And, fairly oozing complacency and -importance, he began to explain his own and Randy's real names and -countries, hoping Planetty would straighten them out in her own head, -if not in Thun's. - -"You are right," he started off sonorously. "Randy and I both live in -the Land of Oz, a great oblong country entirely surrounded by a desert -of burning sand. But in Oz there are many, many Kingdoms: first of all, -the four large realms, the Gilliken Country of the North, the Quadling -Country of the South, the Empire of the Winkies in the East, and the -Land of the Munchkins in the West. Each of these Kingdoms has its own -sovereign; but all are under the supreme rule of Ozma, a fairy Princess -as lovely as your own small self, and Ozma lives in an Emerald City in -the exact center of Oz." - -Kabumpo paused impressively while Planetty's eyes twinkled merrily at -his delicate flattery. "Now Randy and I hail from the north Gilliken -Country of Oz," proceeded the Elegant Elephant, moving along as he -spoke in a grand and leisurely manner. "I come from the Kingdom of -Pumperdink, and Randy from the Regal little realm of Regalia. Only -yesterday I arrived in Regalia to visit Randy, and we are now on our -way to the castle of the Red Jinn, as I think I told you before. If we -were in Oz, my dear--" Kabumpo rather lingered over the "dear"--"Ozma -and her clever assistant, the Wizard of Oz, would quickly transport you -to Anuther Planet with the magic belt. But, you see, we are not in Oz, -for the same storm that overtook you and Thun overtook us, and hurled -us across the Deadly Desert to this Kingdom of Ix, where we all now -find ourselves. Fortunately, too, for otherwise we might never have met -a Princess from Anuther Planet." - -The little Princess nodded in bright agreement. - -"So--" continued Kabumpo, picking a huge tiger-lily and holding it out -to her, "as it is too difficult to travel back to the Emerald City of -Oz, we will take you with us to the Wizard of Ev, whose castle is on -the Nonestic Ocean in the country adjoining Ix." - -"And a wizard is what?" Planetty turned almost completely round on her -black charger, smiling teasingly over the tiger-lily at Kabumpo. - -"Why, a wizard--er--a wizard--" The Elegant Elephant fumbled a bit -trying to find the right words to explain. - -"A wizard is a person who can do by magic what other people cannot do -at all," finished Randy neatly. - -"Magic?" Planetty still looked puzzled. - -"Oh, never mind all the words," comforted Kabumpo, flapping his ears -good naturedly, "you'll soon see for yourself what they all mean, and -I'm sure Jinnicky will be charmed to do his best tricks for you and -send you back in fine and proper style to your own planet." - -"Yes, Jinnicky can do almost anything," boasted Randy, taking off his -crown and setting it back very much atilt, "and he's good fun too. -You'll like Jinnicky." - -"As much as Big Bumpo?" Planetty rolled her soft eyes fondly back at -the Elegant Elephant, and Randy, feeling an unaccountable twinge of -jealousy, wished she would look at him that way. - -"Oh, maybe not so much as Kabumpo; of course, there's nobody like -HIM--but pretty much as much," declared the young King loyally. - -"But I like everything down here," decided Planetty, leaning forward to -tickle Thun's ear with the lily. "It's all so nite and netiful." - -"So now we know what we are," whispered Randy under his breath -to Kabumpo. "And wait till Jinnicky sees us traveling with a -fire-breathing Thunder Colt and the Princess of Anuther Planet. Oh, -don't we meet important people on our journeys, Kabumpo?" - -"Well, don't they meet US?" murmured the Elegant Elephant, increasing -his speed a little to keep up with Thun. "Though I wouldn't call this -colt important myself. How is he any better than an ordinary horse? His -breath is hot and dangerous, and it's not much fun traveling with a -deaf and dumb brute who burns everything he breathes on." - -"Oh, he's not so dumb," observed Randy. "Look at the way he leaped over -that fallen log just now, and think how useful he'll be at night to -blaze a trail and light the camp fires." - -"Hadn't thought of that," admitted Kabumpo grudgingly. "I guess he -would show up pretty well in the dark, and I suppose that does make him -trail blazer and lighter of the fires for this particular expedition. -Ho, HO! KERUMPH! And between you and me and the desert, this expedition -had better move pretty fast and not stop for sightseeing. Suppose these -two Nuthers had that vanadium shower at the beginning of the week -instead of the middle, that would give them only about two more days to -go? Great Goosefeathers! I'd hate to have 'em stiffen up on us half-way -to Jinnicky's. I might carry the Princess, but what would we do with -the colt?" - -"Let's not even think of it," begged Randy with a little shudder. -"Great Goopers! Kabumpo, I hope Jinnicky will be at home and his magic -in good working order and powerful enough to send them back or keep -them here if they decide to stay." - -"If they decide to stay?" Kabumpo looked sharply back at his young -rider. "Why should they?" - -"Well, Planetty said she liked it down here, you heard her yourself -a moment ago, and I thought maybe--" Randy's face grew rosy with -embarrassment. - -"Ha, Ha! So that's the way the wind lies!" Kabumpo chuckled -soundlessly. "Well, I wouldn't count on it, my lad," he called up -softly. "She probably has some nite Planetty Prince waiting for her up -yonder, and will fly away without so much as a backward glance. And as -for Jinnicky being at home--why shouldn't he be at home? And as for his -magic not being powerful enough--why shouldn't it be powerful enough? -He was in fine shape and form when I saw him in the Emerald City three -years ago. By the way, why weren't you at that grand celebration? I -understood Ozma invited all the Rulers of the Realm." - -"Uncle Hoochafoo did not want me to leave," sighed Randy. "He thinks a -King's place is in his castle." - -"I wonder what he thinks now?" said Kabumpo, trumpeting three times, -for Thun was racing along too far ahead of them. - -"Probably has all the wise men and guards running in circles to find -me," giggled Randy, immediately restored to good humor. "And say, when -I do get back, old Push-the-Foot, I'M going to be KING and everything -will be very different and gay. Yes, there'll be a lot of changes in -Regalia," he decided, shaking his head positively. "Why, all those dull -receptions and reviewings would tire a visitor to tears." - -"Ho, Ho! So you're still expecting her to visit you?" Waving his -trunk, Kabumpo called out in a louder voice. "Not so fast there, -Princess; hold Thun back a bit. We might run into danger and we should -all keep together on a journey. Besides," Kabumpo cleared his throat -apologetically, "Randy and I must stop for a bite to eat." - -Planetty's eyes widened, as they always did at strange words and -customs, but she tugged obediently at Thun's mane and the Thunder -Colt came to an instant halt. Randy himself tried to coax the little -Princess to eat something, but she was so upset and puzzled by the -idea, he finally desisted and tried to share his bread and eggs with -Kabumpo. But the Elegant Elephant generously refused a morsel, knowing -Randy had little enough for himself, and lunched as best he could from -the shoots of young trees and saplings. Thun was so interested when -Kabumpo quenched his thirst at a small spring that he too thrust his -head into the bubbling waters, but withdrew it instantly and with such -an expression of pain and distress Randy concluded that water hurt the -Thunder Colt as much as fire hurt them. He was quite worried till the -flames began to spurt from Thun's nostrils, for he was afraid the water -might have put out Thun's fire and hastened the time when he should -lose all power of life and motion. - -"Do you do this often?" inquired Planetty, as Randy tucked what was -left into one of Kabumpo's small pockets. - -"Eat?" Randy laughed in spite of himself. "Oh, about three times a -day--or light," he corrected himself hastily, remembering Planetty had -so designated the daytime. "I suppose that vanadium spray or shower -keeps you and Thun going, the way food does Kabumpo and me?" - -Planetty nodded dreamily, then, seeing Kabumpo was ready to start, she -tapped Thun with her silver heels and away streaked the Thunder Colt, -Kabumpo swinging along at a grand gallop behind him. - -"Strange we have not passed any woodsmen's huts, nor seen any wild -animals," called Randy, jamming his crown down a little tighter to -keep it from sailing off. "Hi! Watch out, there old Push-a-Foot! -There's a wall ahead stretching away on all sides and going up higher -than higher. What's a wall doing in a forest? Perhaps it shuts in the -private shooting preserve of Queen Zixie herself. Say--ay--I'd like to -meet the Queen of this country, wouldn't you?" - -"No time, no time," puffed the Elegant Elephant, giving three short -trumpets to warn Planetty to halt Thun. "Great Grump! whoever built -this wall wanted to shut out everything, even the sky. Can't even get a -squint of the top, can you?" - -"Is this the great Kingdom of Ev?" asked Planetty, who had pulled Thun -up short and was looking at the wooden wall with lively interest. - -"No, no, we're not nearly to Ev." The Elegant Elephant shook his head -impatiently. "Back of this wall lives someone who dotes on privacy, I -take it, or why should he shut himself in and everyone else out? Now, -then, shall we cruise round or knock a hole in the wood? I don't see -any door, do you, Randy?" - -"No, I don't." Standing on the elephant's back, Randy examined the -wall with great care. "Why, it goes for miles," he groaned dolefully. -"Miles!" - -"Then we'll just bump through." Backing off, Kabumpo lowered his head -and was about to lunge forward when Randy gave his ear a sharp tweak. - -"Look!" he directed breathlessly. "Look!" While they had been talking, -Thun had been sniffing curiously at the wooden wall and now a whole -round section of it was blazing merrily. "Hurray! He's burned a hole -big enough for us all to go through," yelled the young King gleefully. -"Come ON!" - -Vexed to think the Thunder Colt had solved the difficulty so easily, -and worried lest the whole wall should catch fire, Kabumpo signaled -for Planetty to precede him. But he need not have worried about Thun's -firing the wall. The Thunder Colt had burned as neat a hole in the -boards as a cigarette burns in paper, and while the edges glowed a bit, -they soon smouldered out, leaving a huge circular opening. So, without -further delay, Kabumpo stepped through, only to find himself facing the -most curious company he had seen in the whole course of his travels. - - - - -CHAPTER 9 - -The Box Wood - - -"Why! Why, they're all in boxes!" breathed Randy, as a group with -upraised and boxed fists advanced upon the newcomers. - -"Chillywalla! Chillywalla!" yelled the Boxers, their voices coming -muffled and strange through the hat-boxes they wore on their heads. - -"Chillywalla, Chillywalla, Chillywalla!" echoed Planetty, waving -cheerfully at the oncoming host. - -"Shh-hh, pss-st, Princess, that may be a war cry," warned Randy, -drawing his sword and swinging it so swiftly round his head it -whistled. Thun, too astonished to move a step, stood with lowered -head, his flaming breath darting harmlessly into the moist floor of the -forest. - -"Chillywalla! Chillywalla! Chillywalla!" roared the Boxers, keeping a -safe distance from Kabumpo's lashing trunk. "Chillywalla! CHILLYWALLA!" -Their voices rose loud and imploring. As Randy slid off the Elegant -Elephant's back to place himself beside Planetty, a perfectly enormous -Boxer came clumping out of the Box Wood to the left. - -"Yes! Yes?" he grunted, holding on his hat-box as he ran. When he -caught sight of the travelers, he stopped short, and, not satisfied -with peering through the eyeholes in his hat-box, took it off -altogether and stood staring at them, his square eyes almost popping -from his square head. "Box their ears, box their ears! Box their heads -and arms and rears! Box their legs, their hands and chests, box that -fire plug 'fore all the rest! An IRON box!" screamed Chillywalla, as -Thun, with a soundless snort, sent a shower of sparks into a candy -box bush, toasting all the marshmallows in the boxes. "Oh, aren't you -afraid to go about in this barebacked, barefaced, unboxed condition?" -he panted, "exposed to the awful dangers of the raw outer air?" - -Chillywalla hastily clapped on his hat box, but not before Randy -noticed that his ears were nicely boxed, too. Without waiting for an -answer to his question, the Boxer, with one shove of his enormous boxed -fist, pushed Thun under a Box Tree. Planetty had just time to leap -from his back when Chillywalla shook a huge iron box loose and it came -clanking down over the Thunder Colt. It was open at the bottom, and -Thun, kicking and rearing underneath, jerked it east and west. - -"He'll soon grow used to it," muttered Chillywalla, jabbing a dozen -holes in the metal with a sharp pick he had drawn from a pocket in his -box coat. "Now, then, who's next? Ah! What a lovely lady!" Chillywalla -gazed rapturously at the Princess from Anuther Planet, then clapping -his hands, called sharply: "Bring the jewel boxes for her ears, flower -boxes for herself, a bonnet box for her head, candy boxes for her -hands, slipper boxes for those tiny silver feet. Bring stocking boxes, -glove boxes, and hurry! HURRY!" - -"Oh, PLEASE!" Randy put himself firmly between Planetty and the -determined Chillywalla. "The outer air does not hurt us at all, Mister -Chillywalla; in fact, we like it!" - -"Just try to find a box big enough for me!" invited Kabumpo, snatching -up the little Princess and setting her high on his shoulder. - -"I think I have a packing box that would just fit," mused the Chief -Boxer, folding his arms and looking sideways at the Elegant Elephant. - -"Pack him up, pack him off, send him packing!" chattered the other -Boxers, who had never seen anything like Kabumpo in their lives and -distrusted him highly. But Chillywalla himself was quite interested in -his singular visitors and inclined to be more than friendly. - -"Better try our boxes," he urged seriously, as he took the pile of -bright cardboard containers an assistant had brought him. "Without -bragging, I can say that they are the best boxes grown--stylish, nicely -fitting and decidedly comfortable to wear." - -"Ha, ha!" rumbled Kabumpo, rocking backward and forward at the very -idea. "Mean to tell me you wear boxes over your other clothes and -everywhere you go?" - -"Certainly." Chillywalla nodded vigorously. "Do you suppose we want to -stand around and disintegrate? What happens to articles after they are -taken out of their boxes?" he demanded argumentatively. "Tell me that." - -"Why," said Randy, thoughtfully, "they're worn, or sold, or eaten, or -spoiled--" - -"Exactly." Chillywalla snapped him up quickly. "They are worn out; -they lose their freshness and their newness. Well, we intend to save -ourselves from such a fate, and we do," he added complacently. - -"You're certainly fresh enough," chuckled Kabumpo with a wink at Randy. - -"But might not these boxes be fun to wear?" inquired Planetty, looking -rather wistfully at the bright heap the Boxer Chief had intended for -her. - -"No, No and NO!" rumbled Kabumpo positively. "No boxes!" - -"As you wish." Chillywalla shrugged his shoulders under his cardboard -clothes box. "Shall I unbox the horse?" - -"Better not," decided Randy, looking anxiously at the sparks issuing -from the punctures in Thun's box. "But perhaps you would show us the -way through this--this--" - -"Box Wood," finished Chillywalla. "Yes, I will be most honored to -conduct you through our forest. And you may pick as many boxes as you -wish, too," he added generously. "I'd like to do something for people -who are so soon to spoil and wither." - -"Ha, ha! Now, I'm sure that's very kind of you," roared Kabumpo, wiping -his eyes on the fringe of his robe. "And I think it best we hurry -along, my good fellow. Ho, whither away? It would never do to have a -spoiled King and Princess and a bad horse and elephant on your hands." - -"Oh, if you'd ONLY wear our boxes!" begged Chillywalla, almost ready -to cry at the prospect of his visitors spoiling on the premises. Then -as Kabumpo shook his head again, the Big Boxer started off at a rapid -shuffle, anxious to have them out of the woods as soon as possible. -Thun, during all this conversation, had been kicking and bucking under -his iron box, but now Planetty tapped out a reassuring message with -her staff and the Thunder Colt quieted down. On the whole, he behaved -rather well, following the signals his little mistress tapped out, and -pushing the iron box along without too much discomfort or complaint, -though occasional indignant and fiery protests came puffing out of his -iron container. - -Randy considered the journey through the Box Wood one of their gayest -and most entertaining adventures. The woodmen, in their brightly -decorated boxes, shuffled cheerfully along beside them, stopping now -and then to point with pride to their square box-like dwellings set at -regular intervals under the spreading boxwood trees. The whole forest -was covered by an enormous wooden box that shut out the sky and gave -everything an artificial and unreal look. It was in one side of this -monster box that Thun had burned the hole to admit them. Randy and -Planetty, riding sociably together on Kabumpo's back, picked boxes -from branches of all the trees they could reach, and it was such fun -and so exciting they paid scarcely any attention to the remarks of -Chillywalla. Even the Elegant Elephant snapped off a box or two and -handed them back to his royal riders. - -"Oh, look!" exulted Randy, opening a bright blue cardboard box. "This -is just full of chocolate candy." - -"Oh, throw that trash away," advised Chillywalla contemptuously. -"We think nothing of the stuff that grows inside, it's the boxes -themselves we are after." - -"But this candy is good," objected Randy after sampling several pieces. -"And mind you, Kabumpo, Planetty has just picked a jewel box full of -real chains, rings and bracelets." - -"Oh, they are netiful, netiful," crooned the Princess of Anuther -Planet, hugging the velvet jewel box to her breast. - -"Keep them if you wish," sniffed Chillywalla, "but they're just rubbish -to us. When we pick boxes we toss the contents away." - -"Now, that's plain foolishness," snorted Kabumpo, aghast at such a -waste, as Randy picked a pencil box full of neatly sharpened pencils -and Planetty a tidy sewing kit fitted out with scissors, needles and -spools of thread. The thimble was not quite ripe, but as Planetty had -never stitched a stitch in her royal life, she did not notice nor care -about that. Indeed, before they came to the other side of the Box -Wood, she and Randy were sitting in the midst of a high heap of their -treasures, and Kabumpo looked as if he were making a lengthy safari, -loaded up and down for the journey. - -Randy had stuffed most of the boxes into big net bags Kabumpo always -brought along for emergencies, and these he tied to the Elegant -Elephant's harness. There were bread boxes packed with tiny loaves -and biscuits, cake boxes stuffed with sugar buns and cookies, stamp -boxes, flower boxes, glove boxes, coat and suit boxes. Last of all, -Randy picked a Band Box and it played such gay tunes when he lifted -the lid, Planetty clapped her silver hands, and even Kabumpo began to -hum under his breath. Traveling through the Box Wood with kind-hearted -Chillywalla was more like a surprise party than anything else. To -Planetty it was all so delightful, she began to wonder how she had ever -been satisfied with her life on Anuther Planet. - -"Are all the countries down here as different and happy as this?" she -asked, fingering the necklace she had taken from the jewel box. "All -our countries are greyling and sad. No birds sing, no flowers grow, and -people are all the same." - -"Oh, just wait till you've been to OZ," exclaimed Randy, shutting -the band box so he could talk better. "Oz countries are even more -surprising than this, and wait till you've seen Ev and Jinnicky's Red -Glass Castle!" - -"You'll never reach it," predicted Chillywalla, shaking his hat box -gloomily. "You'll spoil in a few hours now, especially the big one, -loaded down with all that stuff and rubbish. Throw it away," he begged -again, looking so sorrowful Randy was afraid he was going to burst out -crying. "Toss out that rubbish and wear our boxes before it is too -late!" - -"Rubbish!" Randy shook his finger reprovingly at the Boxer. "Why, all -these things are terribly nice and useful. If we go through enemy -countries, we can placate the natives with cakes and cigars, and if -we go through friendly countries, we'll use the suits and flowers -and candy for gifts. Really, you've been a great help to us, Mr. -Chillywalla, and if you ever come to Regalia, you may have anything in -my castle you wish!" - -"Are there any boxes in your castle?" Chillywalla peered up at Randy -through the slits in his hat box. - -"Not many," admitted Randy truthfully. "You see, in my country we keep -the contents and throw the boxes away." - -"Throw the boxes away!" gasped Chillywalla, jumping three times into -the air. "Oh, you rogues! You rascals! You--YOU BOXIBALS! Lefters! -Righters! Boxers all! Here! Here at once! Have at these Box-destroying -savages!" - -"Now see what you've done," mourned Kabumpo, as hundreds of the Boxers, -heeding Chillywalla's call, darted out of their dwellings and came -leaping from behind the box bushes and trees. "You've started a war! -That's what!" - -"Box them! Box them good!" shrieked Chillywalla, raining harmless -blows on Kabumpo's trunk with his boxed fists. A hundred more boxed -both Thun and the Elegant Elephant from the rear, and so loud and angry -were their cries Planetty covered her ears. - -"Too bad we have to leave when everything was so pleasant," wheezed -Kabumpo. "But never mind, here's the other side of the Box Wood. -Flatten out, youngsters, and I'll bump through." - -And bump through he did, with such a splintering of boards it sounded -like an explosion of cannon crackers. Thun, at three taps from -Planetty, bumped after him, and before the Boxers realized what was -happening they were far away from there. - -"I'll soon have that box off you!" panted Kabumpo. And putting his -trunk under Thun's iron box, he heaved it up in short order, screaming -shrilly as he did, for the Thunder Colt's breath had made the metal -uncomfortably hot. - -"I thank you, great and mighty Master!" Thun sent the words up in a -perfect shower of sparks. "Let us begone from these noxious boxers." - -"Oh, they're not so bad," mused Randy, as Planetty signaled for Thun to -go left. "Just peculiar. Imagine keeping the boxes and throwing away -all the lovely things inside. And imagine a country where everything -grows in boxes!" he added, standing up to wave at Chillywalla and his -square-headed comrades, who were looking angrily through the break in -the side of their wall. - -"Good-bye!" he called clearly. "Good-bye, Chillywalla, and thanks for -the presents!" - -"Boxibals!" hissed the Boxer Chief and his men, shaking their fists -furiously at the departing visitors. - -"And that makes us no better than cannibals, I suppose," grunted -Kabumpo, looking rather wearily at the stretch of forest ahead. He had -rather hoped to find himself in open country. - - - - -CHAPTER 10 - -Night in the Forest - - -All afternoon the four travelers moved through the Ixian forest, -Planetty exclaiming over the flowers, ferns and bright birds that -flitted from tree to tree, Thun sending up frequent high-flown -sentences, Kabumpo and Randy looking rather anxiously for some landmark -that would prove they were on the road to Ev. As it grew darker the -Elegant Elephant wisely decided to make camp, stopping in a small, tidy -clearing for that purpose. As Kabumpo swung to an impressive halt, -Randy slid to the ground, pulling the net bags with him, and began -to sort out the boxes containing food. Then he quickly gathered some -faggots for a fire, as the night was raw and chilly, and had Planetty -signal Thun to breathe on the wood. Thun, only too happy to be of some -use, quickly lighted the camp fire and he and the little Princess -watched curiously while Randy prepared his own and Kabumpo's supper, -making coffee in a tin box with some water Kabumpo had fetched in his -collapsible canvas bucket. The Elegant Elephant did rather well with -the contents of seven cake boxes and four bread and cereal containers, -and Randy found so many good things to eat among Chillywalla's presents -he felt sorry not to be able to share them with Planetty or Thun. - -"It would be more fun if you ate too," he observed, looking down -sideways at the little Princess, who was sitting on a boulder, hands -clasped about her knees, while she gazed contentedly up at the stars. - -"Would it?" Planetty smiled faintly, tapping her silver heels against -the rock. "This seems nite enough," she sighed, stretching up her arms -luxuriantly, "but now it is time to ret." - -Slipping off her long metal cape, the Princess of Anuther Planet tossed -one end against a white birch and the other to a tall pine. To Randy's -surprise the ends of the cape instantly attached themselves to the -trees, making a soft flexible hammock. Into this Planetty climbed with -utmost ease and satisfaction. - -"Good net, Randy and Big Bumpo, dear," she called softly. "Take care of -Thun. I've told him to stay where he is till the earling, and he will, -he will." - -With a smile Planetty closed her bright eyes and the wind swaying her -silver hammock soon rocked her to sleep. It had been a long day and -Randy felt very drowsy himself. Walking over to the Thunder Colt, he -turned his head so that his fiery breath would fall harmlessly on a -cluster of damp rocks. He was pleased to find this steed from another -planet so obedient and gentle. Though formed of some live and lively -black metal, Thun was soft and satiny to the touch and seemed to enjoy -having his ears scratched and his neck rubbed as much as an ordinary -horse. - -"Tap me twice on the shoulder if aught occurs, Slandy," he signaled, -blowing the words out lazily between Randy's pats. "And good net to -you, my Nozzies! Good net!" - -"That language is just full of foolishness," sniffed Kabumpo, spreading -a blanket on the ground for Randy, and then stretching himself full -length beneath a beech tree. "Put out the fire, Nozzy, my lad, the -creature's breath makes light enough to frighten off any wild men or -monsters." - -"Oh, I don't believe there are any wild beasts or savages in this -forest," Randy said, stamping out the embers of the camp fire. "It's -too quiet and peaceful. I have an idea we're almost across Ix and will -reach Ev by morning. What do you think, Kabumpo?" - -Kabumpo made no answer, for the Elegant Elephant had stopped thinking -and was already comfortably asnore. So, with a terrific yawn, Randy -wrapped himself in the blanket and, curling up close to his big and -faithful comrade, fell into an instant and pleasant slumber. Morning -came all too soon, and Randy was rudely awakened by Kabumpo, who was -shaking him violently by the shoulders. - -"Come on! Come on!" blustered the Elegant Elephant impatiently. "Stir -out of it, my boy, we've all been up for hours. Is it proper to lie -abed and let a Princess light the fire?" - -"She didn't!" Sitting bolt upright, Randy saw that Planetty, with -Thun's help, actually had lighted a fire and set water to boil in the -tin box just as he had done the evening before. - -"Oh, my goodness, goodness, Planetty! You mustn't do that rough work," -he exclaimed, hurrying over to take the big cake box from Planetty's -hands. - -"Why not?" beamed the little Princess, hugging the box close. "See, I -have found the great choconut cake for Big Bumpo to eat--I mean neat." - -"Ha, ha! Choconut cake!" Kabumpo swayed merrily from side to side. -"Very neat, my dear. If there's one thing I love for breakfast it's -choconut cake." Laughing so he could hardly keep his balance, Kabumpo -held out his trunk for the cake box. "What a splendid little castle -keeper you'll make for some young King, Netty, my child!" - -"Netty? Is that now my name?" Planetty pushed back her flying cloud of -hair with an interested sniff. - -"If you like it," said Randy, his ears turning quite red at Kabumpo's -teasing remarks. Leading the little Princess to a flat rock, he sat her -down with great ceremony and then began opening up boxes of crackers -and fruit. - -"Netty's a nite name," decided the Princess, her head thoughtfully on -one side. "I must tell Thun." - -Skipping over to the Thunder Colt, who with drooping head and tail was -enjoying a little colt nap, she tapped out her new nickname in the -strange code she used when talking to him. - -"No longer Planetty of Anuther Planet!" flashed Thun, awake in a -twinkling and sending up his message in a shower of sparks. "But -Anetty of Oz!" - -"At least he's left off the N," mumbled Kabumpo, speaking thickly -through the cocoanut cake which he had tossed whole into his capacious -mouth. "Sounds rather well, don't you think?" - -"Wonderful!" agreed Randy, who could scarcely keep his eyes off the -sparkling little Princess. "It's too bad she's not like us, Kabumpo, -then she could go back to Oz and stay there always." - -"If she were like us, she wouldn't be so interesting," said Kabumpo, -shaking his head judiciously. "Besides, down here the poor child is -completely out of her element and liable to disintegrate or suffocate -or Ev knows what--" he went on, discarding a box of prunes for a carton -of tea. - -"How was the cake?" Randy changed the subject, for he could not bear to -think of Planetty in danger of any sort. - -"Stale," announced Kabumpo, making a wry face as he swallowed some tea -leaves. "I'll certainly be glad to catch up with some regular elephant -food. This eating bits out of boxes is diabolical--simply diabolical! -Here, give me those crackers and eat some of that other stuff. And look -at little Netty Ann, would you, shaking out that blanket as if she'd -been traveling with us for years. Why, the lass is a born housewife!" - -"And isn't she pretty?" smiled Randy, waving to Planetty as he began -packing the boxes in the net bags again and stamping out the fire. "I -wonder what it's like up where she lives, Kabumpo?" - -"Why not ask her?" Swinging up his saddle sacks, Kabumpo called gaily -to the little Princess, who came running over, the blanket neatly -folded on her arm. - -"Thank you, Netty. You are certainly a great help to us!" Taking the -blanket and giving her an approving pat on the shoulder, Randy caught -hold of Kabumpo's belt strap and pulled himself easily aloft. "All -ready to go?" - -Planetty nodded cheerfully as she mounted the Thunder Colt. - -"Will this lightling be as nite as the last?" she demanded, tapping -Thun gently with her staff. - -"Nicer," promised Randy as Thun pranced merrily ahead, Planetty's long -cape billowing like a silver cloud behind them. - -"What do you do when you are at home?" called Randy as Kabumpo, giving -two short trumpets, followed close on the heels of the Thunder Colt. - -"Home?" Planetty turned a frankly puzzled face. - -"I mean, do you have a house or a castle?" persisted Randy, determined -to have the matter settled in his mind once for all. "Do you have -brothers and sisters, and is your father a King?" - -"No house, no castle, no those other words," answered Planetty in even -greater bewilderment. "On Anuther Planet each is to herself or himself -alone. One floats, rides, skips or drifts through the leadling heights -and lowlands, hanging the cape where one happens to be." - -"Regular gypsies," murmured Kabumpo under his breath. "So nobody -belongs to nobody, and nobody has anybody? Sounds kind of crazy to me." - -"Yes, if you have no families, no fathers or mothers--" Randy was -plainly distressed by such a country and existence--"I don't see how -you came to be at all." - -"We rise full grown from our Vanadium springs, and naturally I have my -own spring. Is that, then, my father?" - -"Tell her 'yes,'" hissed Kabumpo between his tusks. "Why mix her all -up with our way of doing things? If she wants a spring for a father, -let her have it!" Kabumpo waved his trunk largely. "Ho, ho, kerumph! -I've always thought of springs as a cure for rheumatism, but live and -learn--eh, Randy--live and learn." - -Randy paid small attention to the Elegant Elephant's asides; he was -too busy explaining life as it was lived in Oz to Planetty, making it -all so bright and fascinating, the eyes of the little Princess fairly -sparkled with interest and envy. - -"I think I will not go with you to this Wizard of Ev," she announced in -a small voice as the young King paused for breath. "I do not believe I -shall like that old wizard or his castle." - -Touching Thun with her staff, Planetty turned the Thunder Colt sideways -and went zigzagging so rapidly through the trees they almost lost sight -of her entirely. - -"Now what?" stormed the Elegant Elephant, charging recklessly after her -through the forest. "What's come over the little netwit? Come back! -Come back, you foolish girl!" he trumpeted anxiously. "We'll take -you to Oz after you've been to Ev," he added with a sudden burst of -comprehension. - -At Kabumpo's promise, Planetty half turned on her charger. "But this -Wizard of Ev will send us back to Anuther Planet. It is yourself that -has said so." - -"No, no! We just said he would help you!" shouted Randy, leaning -forward and waving both arms for Planetty to turn back. "Oh, you really -must see Jinnicky," he begged earnestly. "Without his magic you cannot -live away from that Vanadium spring. Do you want to be stiff and still -as a statue for the rest of your days?" - -"I'd rather be a statue down here with you and Bumpo, where the birds -sing and the flowers grow and the woods are green and wonderful, than -to be a live Princess of Anuther Planet!" sighed the metal maiden, -hiding her face in Thun's mane. - -"You WOULD?" cried Randy, almost falling off the elephant in his -extreme joy and excitement. "Then you just SHALL, and Jinnicky will -change everything so you can live down here always and come back to Oz -with Kabumpo and me! Would you like that, Planetty?" - -"Oh, that would be netiful!" Clasping Thun with both arms, the little -Princess laid her soft cheek against his neck. "NETIFUL!" - -"Then ride on, Princess! Ride on!" Kabumpo spoke gruffly, for his -feelings had quite overcome him. "Toss me a 'kerchief, will you, -Randy?" he gulped desperately. "Oh, boo hoo, kerSNIFF! To think she -really likes us that much! Do you think she'd hear if I blew my trunk?" - -"No, no, she's way ahead of us now," whispered Randy, handing an -enormous handkerchief down to Kabumpo after taking a sly wipe on it -himself. "Oh, isn't this a gorgeous day, Kabumpo, and isn't everything -turning out splendidly? And see there--we've actually come to the end -of the forest." - - - - -CHAPTER 11 - -The Field of Feathers - - -"Good Gapers, everything's pink!" marveled Randy as Kabumpo, still -muttering and snuffling, pushed his way through the last fringe of the -forest. - -"So now we're in the pink, eh?" With a last convulsive snort, Kabumpo -stuffed the handkerchief into a lower pocket and trumpeted three times -for Thun to halt. "Are those flowers, d'ye 'spose? May I see one of -them, my dear?" - -Catching up with the little Princess who was already on the edge of the -field, Kabumpo took the long spray she had picked and passed it back -to Randy. - -"My gooseness, it's a feather! The largest and finest I've ever seen," -Randy said in surprise. "Hey, I always thought feathers grew on birds, -yet here's a whole field of feathers, Kabumpo--imagine that! And taller -than I am, too." - -"Well, there's no harm in feathers," observed Kabumpo jocularly. "Pick -a plume for your bonnet, my child. The girls in our countries adorn -themselves with these pretty fripperies. I've even worn them myself -at court functions," he admitted self-consciously. "But do you think -you can hold the colt's head up as we go through? Burnt feathers smell -rather awful, and we don't wish to anger the owner or spoil his crop." - -A bit confused by the word "owner" and "crop," Planetty nevertheless -caught the idea and explained it so cleverly to Thun, the Thunder Colt -started through the field, holding his head high and handsome so that -the flames spurted upward and not down. - -"It was rather like ploughing through a wheat field," decided Randy -as Kabumpo, treading lightly as he could, stepped after Thun. It was, -though, more like a sea of waving plumes, endlessly bending, nodding -and rippling in the wind. Planetty gathered armfuls of these bright -and newest treasures, liking them almost as much as the flowers in the -forest. Thun, for his part, found the whole experience irksome in the -extreme. - -"These pink feathers give me the big pain in the neck," he puffed up -indignantly as he trotted along with his head in the air. Planetty, -reading his message with a little smile, was astonished to hear a -series of roars and explosions behind her. Surely Thun's remarks were -not as funny as all that! Turning round, she was shocked to see Kabumpo -swaying and stumbling in his tracks, coughing and spluttering, and torn -by such gigantic guffaws he had already shaken Randy from his back. The -young King himself rolled and twisted on the ground, fairly gasping for -breath. - -"It's the feathers!" he gasped weakly, as Planetty, leaping off the -Thunder Colt, ran back to investigate. "They're tickling us to death. -Get away quickly, Netty, dear, before they get you--Oh, ha, ha, HAH! -Oh, ho, ho! Quick! Before it is too late. Oh, hi, hi, hi! I shall die -laughing!" To the startled little Princess he appeared to be dying -already. - -"No, no! Please not!" she cried, dropping her armful of feathers. - -With surprising strength she jerked Randy upright and, in spite of his -continued roars and wild writhing, managed to fling him across Thun's -back. Now Kabumpo was down, kicking and rolling hysterically. It seemed -to Planetty that the feathers were wickedly alive and tickling them on -purpose. They tossed, swayed and brushed against her and Thun, too, but -having no effect on the metalic skin of the Nuthers, curled away in -distaste. - -"Stop! Stop! I hate you!" screamed Planetty, stamping on the bunch she -had picked a moment before, then struggling in vain to pull Kabumpo up -by his trunk. "Thun! Thun! What shall we do?" - -Racing back to the Thunder Colt, Planetty tapped out all that was -happening to their best and only friends, holding the convulsed and -still laughing Randy in place with one hand as she did so. Thun, from -anxious glances over his shoulder, had guessed more than half the -difficulty. - -"Search in the Kabumpty's pocket for something to tie round him so I -may pull him out of the feathers," flashed the Thunder Colt, swinging -in a circle to prance and stamp on the plumes still curling down to -tickle the helpless boy on his back. - -Feeling in Kabumpo's pockets as he tossed and lashed about was hard -enough, but Planetty, who was quick and clever, soon found a long, -stout, heavily linked gold chain Kabumpo twisted round and round his -neck on important occasions. Slipping the chain through his belt, -the little Princess clasped the other ends round the Thunder Colt's -chest, making a strong and splendid harness. Then, mounting quickly -and holding desperately to Randy, Planetty gave the signal for Thun to -start. And away through the deadly field charged the night black steed, -burning feathers left and right with his flashing breath and dragging -Kabumpo along as easily as if he had been a sack of potatoes instead of -a two-ton elephant. The feathers bending beneath made the going soft so -that the Elegant Elephant did not suffer so much as a scratch, and Thun -galloped so swiftly that in less than ten minutes they had reached the -other side of the beautiful but treacherous field. Going half a mile -beyond, Thun came to an anxious halt, the golden chain falling slack -around his ankles, while Planetty jumped down to see how Kabumpo was -doing now. - -The Elegant Elephant had stopped laughing, but his eyes still rolled -and his muscles still twitched and rippled from the terrible tickling -he had endured. Randy, exhausted and weak, hung like a dummy stuffed -with straw over the Thunder Colt's back. - -"Oh, we were too late, too long!" mourned Planetty, wringing her -hands and running distractedly between the Elegant Elephant and the -insensible King. "Oh, my netness, they will become stiff and still as -Nuthers deprived of their springs," she tapped out dolefully to Thun. - -"Do not be too sure." The Thunder Colt puffed out his message slowly. -"See, already the big Kabumpty is trying to rise." - -And such, indeed, was the case. Astonished and mortified to find -himself stretched on the ground in broad daylight and still too -confused to realize what had happened, the Elegant Elephant lurched to -his feet and stood blinking uncertainly around. Then, his eyes suddenly -coming into proper focus, he caught sight of Randy lying limply across -the Thunder Colt. - -"What in Oz? What in Ix? What in Ev is the matter here?" he panted, -wobbling dizzily over to Thun. - -"Feathers!" sighed Planetty, clasping both arms round Kabumpo's trunk -and beginning to pat and smooth its wrinkled surface. "The feathers -tickled you and you fell down, my poor Bumpo. Randy too was almost -laughed to the death. What does death mean?" Planetty looked up -anxiously into his eyes. - -"Great Grump! So that was it! Great Gillikens! I remember now, we were -both nearly tickled to death and it was awful, AWFUL! Not that Ozians -ever do die," he explained hastily, "but, after all, we are not in Oz -and anything might have happened. And what I'd like to know is how in -Ev we ever got out of those feathers." - -"Thun pulled you out," Planetty told him proudly. "And look, LOOK, -Bumpo dear, Randy is going to waken, too." - -"Randy! Randy, do you hear that?" Kabumpo lifted the young King down -and shook him gently backward and forward. "This colt of Planetty's, -this Thunder Colt, all by himself, mind you, pulled us out of that -infernal feather field! You and me, but mostly me. Now tell me how did -he manage to pull an elephant all that way?" - -Randy, only half comprehending what Kabumpo was saying, said nothing, -but Thun, guessing Kabumpo's question, threw back his head and puffed -quickly: - -"We Nuthers are strong as iron, Master. Strong for ourselves, strong -for our friends. Thun, the Thunder Colt, will always be strong for -Kabumpty!" - -"Strong! Strong? Why, you're marvelous," gasped the Elegant Elephant. - -Placing Randy on the ground, he fished jewels from his pocket with -a reckless trunk till he found a band of pearls to fit Thun. Then -carelessly risking the sparks from the Thunder Colt's nostrils, he -fastened the pearls in place. - -"Tell him, tell him THANKS!" he blurted out breathlessly. "Tell him -from now on we are friends and equals, friends and warriors, together!" - -With a pleased nod Planetty translated for Thun, and the delighted -colt, tossing his flying mane, raced round and round his three -comrades, filling the air with high-flown and flaming sentences. - -"Friends and warriors!" he heralded, rearing joyously. "Friends and -warriors!" - -By this time Randy had recovered his breath and his memory and felt not -only able but impatient to continue the journey. The field of feathers -could still be seen waving pink and provokingly in the distance, but -without one backward glance the four travelers set their faces to the -north. A few of Chillywalla's boxes had been crushed while Kabumpo -rolled in the feathers, and he and Randy still felt weak and worn from -their dreadful experience, but these were small matters when they -considered the dreadful fate they had escaped through the quick action -of Planetty and Thun. - -"I always thought of Ix as a pleasant country," sighed Randy as Kabumpo -moved slowly along a shady by-path. - -"I don't believe this is Ix," stated the Elegant Elephant bluntly. -"The air's different, smells salty, and this sandy road looks as if we -might be near the sea. I think myself that we've come north by east -through Ix into Ev and will reach the Nonestic Ocean by evening." -Kabumpo paused to peer up at a rough board nailed to a pine. - -"So! You got through the feathers, did you?" sneered the notice in -threatening red letters. "Then so much the worse for you! Beware! Watch -out! Gludwig the Glubrious has his eye on you." - -"Glubrious!" sniffed Kabumpo, elevating his trunk scornfully as Randy -read and re-read the impertinent message. "I don't recall anyone named -Gludwig, do you?" - -"Sounds rather awful, doesn't it?" whispered Randy, sliding to the -ground to examine the billboard from all sides. "Say, look here, -Kabumpo, there's something on the back. It's been scratched out with -red chalk, but I can still read it." - -"Then read it," advised Kabumpo briefly. - -"This is the Land of Ev! Everybody welcome! Take this road to the -Castle of the Red Jinn." - -"Oh, that means we're almost there!" exulted the young King, but his -joy evaporated quickly as he re-read the other side of the board. - -"Looks as if someone had switched signs on Jinnicky," he muttered, -pushing back his crown with a little whistle. "Do you think anything -has happened to him?" - -"Probably some mischievous country boy trying out his chalk," answered -the Elegant Elephant, not believing one of his own words. "Straight on, -my dear," he called cheerfully to Planetty, who had pulled in the colt -and was looking questioningly back at them. "At last we are in the Land -of Ev, and just ahead lies the castle of our wizard." - -"Oh, Bumpo, how nite!" Planetty hugged herself from pure joy. "I've -never seen a castle, I've never seen a wizard!" - -"But, Kabumpo--" worried Randy as the little Princess of Anuther Planet -galloped gaily ahead of them. "Suppose this Gludwig really has his eye -on us? Suppose he rushes out before we can reach Jinnicky's castle?" - -"Well, that will not be very 'nite,' will it?" The Elegant Elephant -spoke ruefully. "But what can we do? Are we going to stop for a mere -sign?" - -"No!" declared Randy, feeling about for his sword. "Of course not. But -I'll wager a Willikin he was the fellow who planted those feathers." - -"Very likely," agreed Kabumpo, pushing grimly along through the sand. - - - - -CHAPTER 12 - -Arrival at the Castle of the Red Jinn - - -The further they traveled into Ev, the more interesting the country -became to Planetty and Thun. Now wild orange and lemon trees added -their spicy tang to the salty air; waving palms edged the sandy -roadway, and after traversing a grove of lordly cocoanut trees the four -suddenly found themselves facing the great, green, rolling Nonestic. - -"A spring!" caroled Planetty, galloping Thun down to the water's edge. -"Oh, never have I seen so netiful a spring!" - -"Not a spring, Princess, an ocean," corrected Kabumpo, ambling good -naturedly after Thun. "This is a salt salt sea, full of ships, sailors, -shells, crabs, islands, fish and fishermen." - -"And will I see all of them?" Slipping from Thun's back Planetty waded -out a little way, hopping gleefully over the edges of the smaller waves. - -"Some time," promised Randy, dismounting hastily to keep her from -venturing too far. "Look over your shoulder, Netty," he urged, drawing -her back toward shore, "and then tell me what you think!" - -Explaining this gay, wide and wonderful world to the little Princess of -Anuther Planet, Randy found more fun than anything he had ever done or -imagined. Tense with expectation, he and Kabumpo watched as Planetty -gazed off to the right. - -"Why--'tis a high, high hill of red that glitters! Or what? What is -it?" Planetty whirled Thun round so he could see, too. - -"It's a castle, m'lass." Kabumpo swaggered down the beach, as if he -alone were responsible for all its splendor and magnificence. "There -you see the imperial palace of the Wizard of Ev, built from turret to -cellar of finest red glass studded with rubies, and there, this night, -we will be suitably entertained by Jinnicky himself." - -"The inside's even better than the outside," Randy whispered in -Planetty's ear, as she tapped out this astonishing news to the Thunder -Colt. "Come on, come on, it's not more than a mile, and we can go -straight along the edge of the sea shore. Say, weren't we lucky not to -run into Gludwig?" Pulling himself up on Kabumpo's back, Randy spoke -the words softly. "It would have been too bad to have the first person -outside of ourselves that Planetty met turn out a villain. I believe -that sign WAS a joke." - -"Well, everything seems all right so far," admitted the Elegant -Elephant guardedly. "But keep your eyes open, my boy--keep your eyes -open. Is that a welcome committee marching along the beach, or is it an -army?" - -"They're still too far away to tell," answered Randy. "Looks to me like -all Jinnicky's blacks; I can see their baggy red trousers and turbans." - -"Yes, but what's that gleaming in the sunlight?" demanded Kabumpo, -curling up his trunk uneasily. - -"Only their scimiters," Randy said, standing up to have a better -view. "Each man is carrying a scimiter over his shoulder, but that's -perfectly all right, they're probably parading for our benefit." - -"Mm-mm! Sometimes things are not what they scim-iter!" sniffed Kabumpo, -snapping his eyes suspiciously. But Randy, paying no attention to -the Elegant Elephant's remark, was feeling round in the net bags -for Chillywalla's band box, and next moment the lively strains of a -military march filled the air. - -Swinging along in time to the music, Kabumpo peered sharply at the -oncoming host for signs of Alibabble, or Ginger, the slave of the -bell, or some of Jinnicky's other old and trusted counselors. But in -all that great throng there was no one familiar face, and because he -was beginning to feel more than a bit worried, Kabumpo lifted his feet -higher and higher. "Everything looks black, very black," he muttered -dubiously. - -"Why not?" cried Randy, waving his arms like a bandmaster. "They're all -as black as the ace of spades. Mind you, Planetty, it takes all these -black men to take care of Jinnicky and his castle." - -"And will they take care of us?" Planetty eyed the marchers with -positive amazement and alarm. "So many," she murmured in a hushed -voice, "so black. I thought everyone down here would be like you and -Bumpo." - -"My, no," Randy told her complacently. "Everyone is liable to be -different. I believe I'll toss out some of Chillywalla's boxes. -Visitors should come bearing presents, you know!" - -Hastily Randy began pulling out boxes of candy, boxes of cigarettes, -beads, cigars and whole suits of clothing to dazzle Jinnicky's -subjects. But when the leader of the procession came within ten feet of -the travelers he threw back his head and emitted such a blood-curdling -howl, Randy's hair rose on his head, and as the rest of the blacks, -brandishing scimiters and yelling threats and imprecations, came -leaping toward them, the desperate young King began hurling down boxes -as if they were bombs. He caught the Headman on the chin with the -bandbox, but while it stopped the music it did not stop the gigantic -Evian from slashing at Thun. As his scimiter fell, Kabumpo gave a -trumpet that felled the whole front rank of the enemy, and snatching up -the villain in his trunk, he hurled him back among his men. - -"Is this--is this taking care of us?" shuddered Planetty, clasping her -arms round the neck of the plunging Thunder Colt. - -"No, no! My goodness, NO! Is Thun hurt? Quick, Kabumpo!" screamed Randy -as a second scimiter slashed down on Thun's flank. Then he managed -to breathe again, for the razor-sharp weapon glanced harmlessly off -the metal coat of Planetty's coal black charger. The wielder of the -scimiter, however, did not escape so easily, for a hot blast from -Thun's nostrils sent him reeling backward. - -"That's it! Give it to them! Give it to them!" shouted Randy, -forgetting in his excitement that Thun could not hear, and he himself -hurled Chillywalla's boxes hard and viciously and one after the other. -As for Kabumpo, every time he raised his trunk there was a black man in -it, and as fast as they came he slung them over his shoulder. - -But it was Planetty who really turned the tide of battle. While Randy, -who had exhausted his supply of boxes, was digging desperately in -Kabumpo's pockets for some more missiles, he heard a perfect chorus of -terrified screeches. Popping up with an umbrella and an alarm clock, -he saw the Princess of Anuther Planet standing erect on the galloping -colt's back, calmly and precisely casting her staff at the foe. Each -time the staff struck, the victim, in whatever attitude he happened to -be, was frozen into a motionless metal figure. After each stroke the -staff returned to Planetty's hand. - -"Yah, yah, mah--MASTER!" wailed the frantic blacks who were still able -to move, and tumbling over one another in their effort to escape, they -fled wildly back to the Red Castle, leaving behind sixty of their -vanquished brethren. - -"You--you--YOU'LL be sorry for this!" shouted the Headman, tearing off -his turban and waving it as he ran. - -"So will you!" bellowed Kabumpo fiercely. "Just wait till Jinnicky -hears about this! How dare you treat his visitors in this violent -wicked fashion?" - -"Jinnicky! Jinnicky!" jeered the Headman as Planetty aimed her staff -threateningly at his back. "Jinnicky is at the bottom of the sea!" - -"Mm--Mnnn! Mnmph! I knew it, I knew it!" groaned the Elegant Elephant -as the Headman reached the palace and scittered wildly up the glass -steps. "I knew something was wrong the moment I saw those scimiters." - -"Jinnicky gone! Jinnicky at the bottom of the sea? Why, I just can't -believe it!" Randy, glancing over his shoulder at the tumbling -Nonestic, looked almost ready to cry. Then putting back his shoulders, -he declared fiercely, "Well, I'M not going off and leave this old -pirate in Jinnicky's castle, are you? It must be Gludwig's doing--all -this! Let's go inside and throw him out of there! We have lots of help -now. Thun's a regular flame thrower and Planetty's worth a whole army, -and best of all nothing can hurt them. Why didn't you tell me you had -a magic staff?" Randy looked admiringly down at the resolute little -Princess at his side. "Why, with that staff we can conquer anybody." - -"Is that what you call the magic?" Planetty regarded her staff with new -interest. - -"It certainly is!" panted Kabumpo, fanning himself with a handy palm -leaf. "And we're mighty sorry to have gotten you into all this danger -and trouble, my dear. Looks as if we had a war on our hands instead of -a pleasant vacation." - -"Oh, that! It is nothing, nothing!" Planetty shrugged her shoulders -eloquently. "On our planet we too have the bad beasts and Nuthers, and -when they try to hit or bite us, we just subdue them with our voral -staffs." - -"Mmmn--mn! So I see." Kabumpo, still fanning himself, looked -thoughtfully at Gludwig's petrified warriors. "There must be a goodly -bit of statuary on your planet, m'lass?" - -"Very many," answered Planetty soberly, polishing her staff on the end -of her cape. With a slight shudder the Elegant Elephant turned from the -fallen slaves, resolving then and there never to offend this pretty but -powerful little metal maiden. - -"Well, have the scoundrels dispersed and gone for good?" inquired Thun, -sending up his question in a cloud of black smoke. Restively pawing -the ground, the Thunder Colt looked from one to the other waiting for -someone to enlighten him. - -"Tell him they've gone, but for nobody's good," wheezed Kabumpo, who -was still out of breath from the violence of the combat. "Tell him -Gludwig the Glubrious has destroyed the Wizard of Ev and that we are -now going into the castle to continue the battle." - -"But where shall we start?" sighed Randy, staring despondently up at -the gay red palace where he and Kabumpo had been so royally entertained -on their last visit. - -"We'll start at the bottom of these steps," announced Kabumpo grimly, -"and mount on up to the top. Then we'll burst into the presence of this -wretched wart and fling him out of the window." - -"But that won't help Jinnicky if he's at the bottom of the sea," -mourned Randy, trying to smile at Planetty, who was busily tapping off -instructions to Thun. - -"Hah! but don't forget, Jinnicky's a wizard," sniffed Kabumpo, pulling -in his belt a few inches, "and nobody can keep a good wizard down. -Besides," Kabumpo dragged his robe a bit to the left and straightened -his head-piece, "once inside that castle, we can use some of the Red -Jinn's own magic to help him." - -"Magic? Why, of course, I'd forgotten about that." Randy's face cleared -and brightened and seeing Planetty and Thun so eager and unafraid -beside him, he girded on his sword and standing upright on Kabumpo's -back, gave the signal to start. As they trod up the hundred red glass -steps they could hear windows and doors slamming, the patter of running -feet and the tinkle of the hundred glass chimes in the tower. But step -by step, and without a pause, Thun and Kabumpo mounted to the top. - -"Beware! Beware, Gludwig the Glubrious! Here march Kabumpty and Thun, -Slandy and Planetty, Princess of Anuther Planet. Friends, equals and -warriors!" - -The Thunder Colt's flaming message, floating like a battle emblem in -the air, alarmed the wicked occupant of Jinnicky's castle even more -than the invaders themselves. But still confident of his power to -vanquish all comers, he waited in evil anticipation for the moment when -they would force their way into his presence. Did they imagine because -they had frightened a company of foolish slaves they could frighten him? - -"Ha, ha!" Crouched on the Red Jinn's throne and laughing mirthlessly, -Gludwig rubbed his long hands up and down his skinny knees. - - - - -CHAPTER 13 - -Gludwig the Glubrious - - -"Pss-sst! Wait! Hold on a minute!" As they reached the huge double -doors of the red castle, Randy tugged violently at Kabumpo's left -ear, for the Elegant Elephant, all humped together, was preparing to -bump through. "Let Thun break down the door," directed the young King -firmly. "Thun is of metal and the glass will not cut him; then, as soon -as there is an opening we can follow. Will you tell him, Planetty?" -Randy looked fondly down at the earnest little Princess. "And as soon -as we are inside," he went on hurriedly, "fling your staff at the first -person I point out to you." - -"That I will," promised Planetty with a brief nod, and giving Thun his -orders, she galloped the Thunder Colt straight at the glass doors. With -a crash like the fall of a hundred trays of dishes, the glass doors -shivered to bits. Rushing through the flying splinters, Kabumpo and -Thun raced together into the palace. - -How well Randy remembered this cozy throne room, its transparent, -red glass pillars and floors, its gay, red lacquered furniture, its -tinkling curtains of strung rubies, and the long line of enormous red -vases leading up to the throne. But instead of the jolly little Jinn, -encased in his own shining jar, a long, lank black man in a red wig -lounged on the seat of state. He was smoking a tenuous red pipe, and, -as Kabumpo and Thun came to an abrupt halt before him, he blinked -wickedly out from under his bushy red lashes. Besides the red-wigged -imposter Randy noted with some relief, there was not another soul in -sight. - -"Well," demanded Gludwig, insolently, "what do you hope to accomplish -by this unwarranted intrusion?" Taking his pipe out of his mouth, he -blew a cloud of villainous black smoke into the faces of his visitors. -So thick and sulphurous were the fumes, Randy and Kabumpo were -rendered speechless. While they choked and spluttered, Planetty, who -did not seem aware of the smoke at all, gazed in wide-eyed delight -around her. So THIS was a castle! - -"How nite, how netiful!" Lost in wonder and admiration, the little -Princess forgot all about the stern purpose of their visit. - -"Off that throne! Off that throne, you wart!" rasped Kabumpo, clearing -his throat with an ear-splitting trumpet. "What have you done with -Jinnicky? You're no more a wizard than I am! You're as false and -crooked as your wig! Down with him! Down with him, Randy! Let him -repent of his wickedness in uttermost disgrace and debasement!" - -"So my downfall is the little plan?" Speaking calmly, but trembling -with fury at Kabumpo's taunting speech, Gludwig rose. At the same -instant Randy, recovering his breath, called desperately. - -"Now, Planetty, your staff! Throw it straight at him. Oh, quickly!" - -Thun's hot breath was already singeing Gludwig's ankles, and, leaping -over the throne, he crouched down like a great black panther behind it. - -"Ha, ha!" he shouted again. "My downfall and debasement is it? Well, -try a bit of downfalling and debasement yourselves." - -Just as Planetty, taking careful aim, hurled her gleaming staff, -Gludwig pulled a tremendous lever in the wall beside him. Instantly the -floor on the other side of the throne dropped down, slanting Kabumpo, -Thun and both riders into the dark, damp and long-unused cellar of the -castle. - -"A trap door," raged the Elegant Elephant, coming down like a carload -of bricks. - -"A trap floor, you mean," gasped Randy, picking himself up with a -painful grimace, for the jolt had sent him flying off the elephant. -Thun had retained his balance, and neither he nor Planetty seemed to -mind the force of their landing. As they gazed angrily upward, the -floor of the throne room swung noiselessly back into place, leaving -the four prisoners to contemplate the heavy glass beams and panels of -its under side. - -"So that was the downfall, and this is debasement," grunted Kabumpo, -sitting down furiously on an overturned wash-tub. "Great Grump, I've -never been so humiliated in my life. Don't cry, Planetty," he begged -gruffly, "we'll have you out of here in a pig's whistle." - -"It's not that, Bumpo, dear." Planetty buried her face in Thun's cloudy -mane and sobbed bitterly. "It's my staff! It did not return after -I flung it at the red-wigged one, and without it I have nothing, -NOTHING!" - -"Good Gollopers!" Randy clapped his hand to his forehead as he realized -the awful significance of Planetty's disclosure. "The floor tilted -too quickly for it to return, and OH, KABUMPO!" he wailed, almost -forgetting he was a King and Warrior. "If Gludwig has that staff, what -can we do? He can come down here and petrify us any time he wants." - -"We'll hide!" gulped Kabumpo, bounding off the wash-tub. With furious -concentration his small eyes roved round and round their gloomy prison. - -"But you're so big," declared Randy, running over to comfort Planetty. - -"I'll hide anyway!" said Kabumpo, who had no intention of spending the -rest of his life as an iron elephant, nor of adorning the palace of -Gludwig the Glubrious as the mere image of himself. - - - - -CHAPTER 14 - -The Slave of the Magic Dinner Bell - - -How thankful Randy and Kabumpo were now for the Thunder Colt's fiery -breath. Otherwise they would have been in almost complete darkness, -as scarcely any light at all trickled down through the dark red glass -of the cellar windows. And there was small danger of his setting -Jinnicky's castle on fire, for the basement, like the rest of the -palace, was constructed of thick plates of solid glass. But here below, -the glass was not bright and sparkling as it was above stairs. Cobwebs -clung to the glass beams, dust powdered the floors, and round the walls -in boxes and barrels stood the old or worn out magic appliances of -the Red Jinn. There was no furnace in the cellar, for the castle was -warmed in winter by a magic process of Jinnicky's own invention; and -there were no doors, not even a closet or cupboard where any of them -could hide. With Thun stepping ahead to act as a torch, the others -marched anxiously round the great gloomy vault-like apartment. - -"No place to hide, no provisions, nothing to eat or drink. NOTHING!" -exclaimed the Elegant Elephant, sinking down on the wash-tub. "That is, -nothing to do but wait for destruction," he concluded bitterly. - -"Well, we're not destroyed yet!" declared Randy, sticking out his -chin. "Everything seems quiet above. Maybe Gludwig is not going to use -Planetty's staff till morning." - -With a discouraged sniff Kabumpo began poking in the boxes behind him. -Finding one full of excelsior, he started to stuff the choking material -into his mouth with his trunk. Randy was sure the excelsior would -disagree with him, but when Kabumpo was in such a mood, it was quite -useless to argue with him; so, beckoning for Thun to light the way, he -and Planetty set out on a second tour of investigation. - -Randy paused dubiously before a collection of squat bottles and jugs. -He was convinced they contained liquids or vapors powerful enough -to help them, but the directions on the labels were all in some -strange magician's code and Randy hesitated to open even one of the -magic bottles. Experience had taught him that a wizard's wares were -dangerous, and he himself had seen the Red Jinn subdue whole armies -by releasing incense from a blue jug. So, selecting two pocket-size -jars, to use only in case everything else failed, Randy moved on to -the other side of the cellar. Here on top of a chest he discovered a -small red hand-bag. Instead of the usual fastenings, two real hands -formed the clasp, and when Randy opened the bag it quickly jerked out -of his grasp and began springing all over the cellar on its hands, -pouncing gleefully on papers and bottles and stuffing them into its -side pockets. It did look so comical, Planetty burst into a peal of -merriment. Even Randy could not keep back a grin. It was a relief to -see the little Princess more like herself again, for since the loss of -her voral staff she had been unnaturally quiet and sad. - -"Wait, I'll catch it for you," offered Randy, dismissing for a moment -all thought of the dreadful danger they were in. "It must be one of -Jinnicky's inventions. Look, Kabumpo, a bag that really packs itself." - -"Watch out it doesn't pinch you!" warned Kabumpo morosely. He -had already begun to regret the excelsior and was rumbling with -indigestion. "I was never one to hold with hand luggage, myself." - -"Oh, yes you were!" crowed Randy, falling on the bag as if it had been -a football and coming up triumphantly with it clutched to his middle. -"You use your trunk for a hand, Kabumpo, and doesn't that make it hand -luggage? Hey, hey, hurray! Never thought I'd make a joke in this dismal -place!" - -"It's a pretty dismal joke, if you ask me." The Elegant Elephant heaved -himself stiffly off the wash-tub. "Keep it away from me!" he warned -crossly, as Randy, paying no attention to the thumps of the hand-bag, -managed to get it shut again. As soon as it was closed the bag -subsided and seemed absolutely unalive. "Here!" puffed Randy, holding -it out to Planetty. "This bag will pack itself, madam, and you can use -it every time you go on a journey." - -"Can I? How nite!" Planetty beamed at her young companion. - -"Well, who's going on a journey?" inquired Kabumpo sarcastically, -walking up and down to relieve his indigestion. "We'll probably spend -the rest of our unnatural lives in this abominable basement. Say -something, can't you?" he shouted, glaring at poor Thun. "I can hardly -see where I'm going." As fast as Planetty translated this rude speech, -the Thunder Colt sent up his answer. - -"If I said all the words I am thinking," puffed Thun temperishly, -"this room would be very red bright, Mister Kabumpty, very red bright -indeed." The Thunder Colt's speech and his further remarks made Randy -and Planetty laugh again. - -"Let's see what else we can find," proposed the young King. In spite of -Kabumpo's gloomy predictions, he was feeling more hopeful. "Maybe this -time we'll turn up something we can really use." - -"Oh, maybe yes, maybe yes!" trilled Planetty, slipping swiftly as -quicksilver after Randy. Passing by some dusty apparatus and an old -spinning wheel, they discovered a huge red drum behind a pile of old -trunks. The sticks were stuck through a cord in the side and it was so -heavy that the two between them could hardly carry it. But giggling and -puffing they dragged it into the center of the cellar and dropped it -down before Kabumpo. - -"See what we have now!" Dusting off his clothes, Randy surveyed it -proudly. - -"Humph! A DRUM!" The Elegant Elephant moved his ears forward and then -back. "Well, what grumpy use is a drum? Am I in a parade? Do you expect -me to beat it?" - -"Beat the drum?" Planetty looked surprised and shocked. "Is that for -what a drum is for, Bumpo, dear?" - -"Well, yes, in a way." A bit ashamed of himself, Kabumpo drew out one -of the sticks. "It goes like this," he said, raising the drumstick high -in his trunk. - -"Oh no! Kabumpo, NO! Don't do that or you'll have Gludwig down here! It -would make too much noise." - -"What if it does?" Kabumpo shrugged his great shoulders. "We may as -well perish now as tomorrow. I'm perishing of hunger anyway." - -Before Randy could interfere, he brought the drumstick down with a -thump that split the taut surface of the drum from edge to edge. -The loud rip and BONG made the rafters ring, and scarcely had they -recovered from that shock before a small black boy in an enormous -turban sprang out of the drum itself and began sobbing and spluttering -and hugging Kabumpo as if he never would let him go. - -"Good Gillikens! It's Ginger!" panted Randy, as Planetty caught him -anxiously by the sleeve. "It's the slave of the magic dinner bell. He -can bring us dinners and whatever one wants when Jinnicky rings for -him. Hi--who shut you up in that drum, boy?" - -"That big old Red Wig," sniffed Ginger, drying his tears on Kabumpo's -robe. "Oh, how can I ever thank you, Mister Elephant so Elegant! -I remember you! I remember him!" The bell boy jerked his thumb -delightedly at Randy. "And many times I thank you--fifty times eleven, -I thank you. You see, if I am shut up in a drum, it is impossible for -me to answer the Master's ring if he needs me. And he needs me now, I -know it, I know it!" - -"But how can he call you unless he has the dinner bell?" asked Randy, -edging closer. "Did Jinnicky take the bell with him when--when--" To -save himself, Randy could not finish the dismal sentence. - -"When Gludwig pushed him into the sea, you mean?" Ginger's brown face -puckered up again, but, controlling his sobs with a great effort, he -sat down on the edge of the drum and told them the whole story of -Jinnicky's mischance and misfortunes. - -"The Master, as you know," explained Ginger, his eyes rolling sideways -as he caught sight of Planetty and Thun, whose like he had never seen -in his entire magic existence, "the Master is always kind and jolly and -unsuspecting. This Gludwig was the manager of our ruby mines and one of -Jinnicky's most trusted officers. But all the time, this viper, this -snake, this villainous black snake--" Ginger clenched his fists and -kicked his heels angrily against the drum--"was planning to steal our -Red Jinn's throne and magic, in addition to his own splendid mansion -and fortune. One evening, seven moons ago, having trained his miners -into an army of rebellion, Gludwig marched upon our castle and drove -everybody out." - -"Everybody?" The Elegant Elephant, picking Ginger up in his trunk, -looked earnestly into his face. - -"Every EV body!" repeated the little bell boy, wagging his turban -sorrowfully. "Alibabble, the Grand Advizier, all the members of the -court and household were sent to the mines under the cruel rule of -Glubdo, Gludwig's brother, and they are there now, working without -rest, hope or reward. He marched the Master to the head of the highest -cliff and pushed him violently into the sea with his OWN hands!" - -Ginger began to tremble with grief and anger at the memory of it all. -"He ordered the bandsmen to seal me up in this drum, knowing a drum is -the only place from which I cannot escape, and hoping I would shrivel -up and perish. But I--" asserted the little black triumphantly--"I am -the best part of Jinnicky's magic, so he couldn't destroy me." A quick -grin overspread Ginger's face. "And he could not destroy my Master -either. Of that I am sure, and now that the elephant so elegant has let -me out--NOW--" - -"Now what?" breathed Randy, almost afraid Ginger was not going to -tell him. "You see, Ginger, we came to visit the Red Jinn and were -immediately captured and dumped down here ourselves. So how can we get -out? And what can we do?" - -"I will think of something," promised the bell boy. Wriggling out of -Kabumpo's trunk, he scurried across the cellar and disappeared beneath -an overturned wheelbarrow. - -"So! He will think of something," sniffed Kabumpo, trying not to make -it sound too sarcastic. "Well, of course, that settles it. And while he -is thinking, I intend to take a nap. I'm completely worn out with all -these vile plots and villainies." - -"I too will ret," decided Planetty, reaching over to pat the Thunder -Colt. The strange excitements of the day had wearied the little -Princess, and this last story of Ginger's had still further puzzled and -distressed her. - -"I never thought when I brought you here you'd have to sleep in a place -like this," groaned Randy, glancing ruefully round the dingy basement. - -"Oh, it's not so bad," smiled the little Princess. Slipping off her -cape, she swung it casually between two grimy pillars, and with the -hand-bag tucked under her arm, climbed contentedly into her silver bed. -"Good net, Randy and Bumpo, dear!" she called softly. "I believe I -shall ret for a long, long time." - -"Now what does she mean by that?" worried the young King, as the -Princess blew them each a wistful kiss. "Something's wrong, Kabumpo, I -feel it! And look there at Thun! Why is he acting so strangely? Almost -as if he could not see." - -"Look at him! Look at him!" wailed the Elegant Elephant. "Where is he? -How can I? It's dark as thunder in here now! Great Grump, Randy, I -can't see you, him or anything at all." - -Stumbling and tripping, he somehow crossed the cellar to the spot where -he remembered Thun had been. Then, as his trunk struck against hard -cold metal, he recoiled in horror. - -"He's OUT!" moaned the Elegant Elephant hoarsely. "He's not even -breathing. Why, he's cold and stiff as a stone. Oh, Good Grump, the -colt saved my life and now what can I do for him? What'll we do, -Randy? I say, what'll we DO?" - -Randy had no answer at all, for, moved by a dreadful foreboding, he -leaned down to touch the face of the little Princess of Anuther Planet, -only to find it still and cold. No sparkling light radiated from -Planetty now as, quiet and motionless as a statue, she lay wrapped in -her silver nets. - -"Ginger, where are you? Ginger, come help us!" Randy screamed -desperately. Scrambling out from under the barrow, the startled bell -boy reached Randy's side in a split second, for Ginger could see as -well in the dark as in the daytime. - -"Did--Gludwig--do--this?" he panted, his eyes rolling wildly from -Planetty to the frozen Thunder Colt. - -"No, no, they are far from their own country and need the powerful -Vanadium springs," groaned Kabumpo, putting out his trunk to touch the -little Princess. "They cannot exist down here. And with Jinnicky gone, -who's to help them?" His tears fell thick and fast on Planetty's silver -tresses. - -"Then why do we stay here?" shuddered Ginger, tugging at Randy's cloak -and Kabumpo's robe. "Why do we stay?" - -As if to answer Ginger's mournful cry, there was a long whistling -rustle in the air, and next moment Randy, Ginger, Kabumpo and the -Princess of Anuther Planet were wafted like feathers through the night, -passing easily as mist through the narrow glass windows, up over the -castle itself and out over the silvery moonlit sea. - - - - -CHAPTER 15 - -Nonagon Island - - -The same afternoon the four travelers arrived at the Red Jinn's castle, -a lonely fisherman in an odd nine-sided dory pulled out from the -Nonagon Isle. This strange small nine-sided island lies about ninety -leagues from the mainland of Ev. Flat, barren and rocky, it affords but -a meager living to the nine fishermen who are its sole inhabitants. -Each keeps strictly to his own side of the island, subsisting frugally -on fish and the few poor vegetables he can grow in his rocky little -garden. Hard and unfriendly as their island itself, the nine Nonagons -go their own ways, exchanging brief nods on the rare occasions when -they meet one another. - -The habit of silence had so grown upon Bloff, the fisherman in the -nine-sided dory, he did not even talk to the cat who shared his rough -dwelling and accompanied him on all of his fishing trips. And so -accustomed was poor Nina to her gruff and taciturn master that she -expected nothing from him but an occasional kick or fish head. Never -sure which would be forthcoming, she kept her green eyes watchfully -upon him at all times. This afternoon she was certain it would be a -fish head, and as Bloff reached the spot where he had set his nets her -tail began to wave gently in pleasant anticipation. - -Bloff himself seemed a little less grim, for the net seemed quite -heavy, and sure he had made a good haul, he began pulling on the lines. -But when his net came wet and dripping over the side of the boat, he -gave a grunt of anger. In it were only three small fish and an immense -red jug. His first impulse was to toss the jug back into the sea, but -reflecting grumpily that he could use it to salt down fish for the -winter, he rolled it into the bottom of the boat and, kicking the -disappointed cat out of the way, rowed rapidly back to the island. - -Stamping into his nine-sided shack with the net over his shoulder, -Bloff banged the jug down on the hearth, cleaned and cut up the fish -and popped them into a pot hung on a crane over the fire. Then, -lighting his one poor lamp, he sat sullenly down to wait for his -supper. The fish heads he flung cruelly into the hot ashes, and -whenever he dozed for a moment Nina tried to pull one out with her paw, -for she knew full well she could get nothing else to eat. - -For perhaps an hour there was not a sound in the fisherman's hut except -the crackling of the drift-wood in the grate and the hoarse breathing -of the fisherman himself. Then suddenly Nina, who had almost succeeded -in dragging her supper from the flames, gave a frightened backward -leap. - -"Oh, my, mercy me! Mercy, me!" came a muffled but merry voice. -"Where--but where am I now?" - -As Nina and her master turned startled eyes toward the red jug, for the -voice was undoubtedly coming from the jug, the lid slowly lifted and a -round jolly face peered out at them. What he saw was so discouraging, -Jinnicky--for of course it was Jinnicky--dropped back out of sight. -The magic fluid with which he had sealed himself in the jug before -Gludwig hurled him into the sea had been melted by the warmth of the -fisherman's fire, and the same warmth had restored the little Red Jinn -to his usual vigor and liveliness. In a sort of protective stupor he -had managed to survive the long months at the bottom of the ocean. A -quick thinker at all times, Jinnicky rapidly regained his senses and -realized at once what had happened. A fortunate tide had carried him -into this fisherman's net and at last he was on dry land again; and NOW -to find and face the villain who had usurped his throne and castle. - -"But why--why--" groaned the little Jinn dolefully, "with all the -fishermen in the Nonestic Ocean did I have to be pulled out by this -long-jawed fellow?" - -Venturing another look, and at the same time thrusting his arms and -legs out of their proper apertures in the jug, he saw that Bloff had -seized an oar and seemed about ready to whack it down on his head. - -"Non, non, NON! My good fellow!" puffed Jinnicky, fixing his rescuer -with his bright glassy eye. "Put up your oar. This is no battle, and -I have much to say that will interest you, but first of all I want -to thank you for pulling me out of the ocean. Heartily! Heartily! A -suitable reward will be sent you as soon as I get back--er--get back my -castle." - -To this polite speech Bloff paid no attention whatsoever, but Nina, -liking the pleasant voice of this curious visitor, began rubbing -herself against his ankles. "I am the Red Jinn of Ev!" announced the -little Wizard, keeping a wary eye on the oar. "At present banished -from my castle by the treachery of a trusted officer. In fact," -Jinnicky tapped himself smartly on the jug, "this villain actually took -everything I had and tossed me into the sea." - -"What's wrong with the sea?" inquired the fisherman hoarsely. Never -having seen anyone in his whole life but the eight other Nonagon -Islanders, Bloff did not really believe what he saw now. "I'm -asleep and having a nightmare," he concluded, grasping the oar more -determinedly still. And we can hardly blame him, for a fellow whose -body is a huge red vase into which he can draw his arms, legs and head, -at will, is pretty hard for anyone to believe. Realizing he was getting -nowhere and that his grim and dour rescuer cared nothing about his -troubles, past or present, Jinnicky decided to try another line. - -"Perhaps you could tell me the name of this place and your own name?" -he murmured politely. - -"I am Bloff, my cat is Nina, and this is the Nonagon Island," announced -the fisherman, frowning at the little Wizard. - -"Ah, a nine-sided island!" The Red Jinn stretched his arms and hopped -up and down to get the kinks out of his legs. "And I see you have a -nine-sided cottage and a cat with nine lives." - -Picking up poor skinny Nina, who was purring for the first time in her -life, Jinnicky stroked her back thoughtfully as he counted the nine -pieces of furniture in the rude hut, noted that it was nine o'clock and -the ninth of May. "But is NINE my lucky number?" he pondered wearily. -Could this churlish fisherman ever be persuaded to sail him back to the -mainland? Looking at Bloff out of the side of his eye, he very much -doubted it. Though Bloff had put down the oar, his manner was anything -but cordial. - -"Are there any other people on the island?" asked Jinnicky, more to -keep up the conversation than because he really wanted to know. - -At his question Bloff put back his head and in a long singsong voice -drawled, "Bluff, Bliff, Bleef, Blaff, Bloff, Blaaf, Bleof and Bluof!" - -"Oh, my! Mercy me!" At each name Jinnicky gave a little jump, and as -Bloff came to the end of the list he seated himself gingerly on the -edge of the bench and stared into the fire. What could he hope from -such people? Then suddenly in the midst of his worries he became aware -of the fish chowder bubbling cozily on the crane and realized at the -same instant his enormous and devouring hunger. After all, you know he -had not eaten for seven months. - -"Ah!" he beamed, extending both arms toward his host, "DINNER!" - -"MY dinner." The two words were spoken so gruffly, Jinnicky's heart -fell with a loud clunk into his boots. Why, this was unbelievable! He, -Jinnicky, the one and only Wizard of Ev, to be flouted and insulted -by a miserable fisherman. Well, at least he could leave the fellow's -miserable hut and try his luck with the other Islanders. Reflecting -sadly that a wizard without his magic is no better off than any other -man, the Red Jinn slid off the bench and started for the door, trying -to walk in a calm and dignified manner. But half-way there a sharp -grunt brought him up short. - -"Aho, no you don't," rasped Bloff, catching up with him in two strides. -"Where do you think you're going? STOP! I need that jug to salt my -fish. Here, give it to me." - -"Why, you--you miserable mollusk--don't you dare touch me!" panted the -Red Jinn, trying to beat off the fisherman with his puny hands. "This -jug--is--an--important--part of me. Without my jug I cannot live at -all." - -"And do you think I care for that?" sneered Bloff. "You're just an old -lobster in a pot to me. Here, give me that jug!" - -Seizing Jinnicky by both arms, Bloff tried to shake him out of the jug. -Nina, enraged at such barbarous treatment of the only one who had ever -been kind to her, proved an unexpected ally. Flying at the fisherman, -she began to scratch and claw his face and hands so successfully -Bloff had to drop Jinnicky to grab the cat. The force of the drop -sent the Red Jinn rolling over and over, dislodging a small silver -bell from a hidden pocket in his sleeve. As the bell fell tinkling -to the flagstones, Jinnicky gave a bounce of relief. His magic dinner -bell, and up his sleeve all the time! How had he ever forgotten it? -Oh, now--now--if Ginger had not been destroyed by Gludwig, and just -answered the bell, everything would be different. And Ginger DID answer -the bell, and everything WAS different! My, yes. So different, Bloff -threw the cat at Jinnicky and simply raced for the door. No wonder, -in his small nine-sided shack were now an elephant carrying a silvery -Princess in his trunk, a black boy in a tall turban and a white boy in -a sparkling crown. With one more terrified glance, Bloff took to his -heels and never stopped running till he was waist high in the Nonestic -Ocean. - - - - -CHAPTER 16 - -All Together at Last - - -"KABUMPO! Kabumpo! Randy! Oh, my mercy me!" Rolling to his feet, -Jinnicky tottered over to the hearth and, encountering Ginger half-way -there, clasped his faithful Bell Boy to his shiny glass bosom. "As soon -as that bell rang I knew everything was going to be better," he puffed. -"And I rather expected Ginger, but YOU! Why, my dear old Gaboscis, -fancy meeting YOU here!" - -"But I don't fancy it at all," grunted Kabumpo, placing the sleeping -Princess gently down on the fisherman's bench and glancing disgustedly -round the mean little hut. "How in Ev did you ever happen to be in -such a place, how did you get here and where in Oz are we, anyway?" - -"Oh, Jinnicky, are you really all right?" Grasping the little Wizard by -both arms, Randy examined him carefully from top to toe. "Kabumpo and I -came to see you, and instead of you, there was Gludwig in your castle. -He told us you were at the bottom of the sea, and after first trying to -destroy us with his army, he flung us into the castle basement. There -we found Ginger sealed up in a big drum and we let him out, and after -awhile, in a way I cannot figure out at all, we find ourselves here. -How did it happen?" - -"Why, Ginger brought you, of course." Releasing the little black boy -from his tight embrace, Jinnicky planted a huge kiss on his ebony -forehead, and with a flashing grin the slave of the bell vanished into -space. "Don't worry! He's always going, but he'll come back any time -I ring the bell. You must all have been touching Ginger when the bell -rang, so naturally when Ginger answered the bell he brought you right -along." - -"Nothing natural about it," fumed Kabumpo, drawing his trunk wearily -across his forehead. - -"But you haven't told us how YOU got here," said Randy, bending over -Planetty to see that she had made the trip without coming to any harm. - -"And what is that, pray?" demanded the little Jinn, eyeing the sleeping -Princess with round astonished eyes. "Something you brought me for a -present? A pretty little idol you've stolen from some heathen temple? -My, mercy me! What a beauty it is! I'll mount it on a ruby pedestal and -worship it all the rest of my days!" - -"Oh, no, Jinnicky, no!" Randy's voice broke and he could not utter -another word, try as he would. In puzzled concern the Red Jinn turned -to Kabumpo. - -"She's not a present, but she's an idol all right--Randy's idol--and -he intends to spend the rest of his life worshiping her, if I read -the signals aright," said Kabumpo dryly. "There you see the Princess -of Anuther Planet, old boy, and up to an hour ago she was as live and -bright and happy as any of us." - -"But what happened to her? Oh, my, mercy me, another mystery!" Jinnicky -clasped his hands in genuine distress. - -"Well, you tell us what happened to you, and then we'll tell you what -happened to her and us," offered Kabumpo. "That is, if we don't die of -hunger first." - -"Hunger?" Jinnicky swallowed four times in rapid succession. "Oh, my, -mercy me and us! You do not even know the meaning of the word! I have -not eaten a bite for seven months! But, har, har, har! That is all -over now. With my magic dinner bell right at hand, why should anyone -be hungry? Four dinners and at once," beamed the Red Jinn, ringing it -smartly. "See, my dear, I've not even forgotten you." Jinnicky leaned -down to stroke Nina, who had hidden behind the hearth brush when so -many strangers came dropping into the hut. "This valiant Nonagon Puss -fought bravely in my defense and has thereby earned herself a place in -my heart and castle for all the rest of her nine natural lives." - -"But first you must get back your castle," said Kabumpo as Jinnicky -began dancing up and down the room, the miserable cat hugged tightly in -his arms. Even Randy had to smile at that. No one could be around the -little Jinn and stay sorrowful, and worried as he was over Planetty and -Thun, the young King could not help feeling that now they were together -everything was going to turn out right. Some how and way Jinnicky would -help them. - -"Isn't this like old times?" he beamed, bustling around like a busy -host as Ginger, with four enormous trays balanced on his head, flashed -down, set an appetizing dinner before each of the company and melted -away like smoke up the chimney. For Nina, he had brought nine saucers -of cream and some minced chicken. For Kabumpo, a huge bowl of assorted -nuts and another bowl of cut raw vegetables, each bowl capable of -replenishing itself, so that there was enough for even an elephant. For -Randy and Jinnicky there were the finest of roast duck dinners. So, -forgetting their mean surroundings and Gludwig's wickedness, the three -Royal Wayfarers fell to and ate with an abandon and gusto that would -have astonished their own castle-holds and footmen. Nina, lapping up -her rich and plenteous viands, seemed to grow fat and content before -their very eyes. And while they dined, Jinnicky explained how he had -been tricked by Gludwig, pulled out of the sea by Bloff and then -nearly shaken out of his jar by the surly fisherman, who at the same -time had shaken out the bell and brought him assistance. - -"Where is he? Wait till I get my trunk on him," raged Kabumpo, glancing -sharply round the nine-sided shack. Jinnicky, on his part, when he -discovered how Gludwig had treated his friends and visitors, was no -less enraged and indignant. - -"Used my very own patented trap floor on you, did he? Hah! wait--I'll -fix him!" Beating his small hands angrily together, Jinnicky's eyes -burned with a bright red hatred. - -"Yes, we were floored, all right," admitted the Elegant Elephant, -pushing away his two bowls, for at last he had had enough, and while -Randy and the Red Jinn were finishing their suppers he told the whole -story of their journey through Oz and Ev and Ix, of their meeting with -Planetty and Thun and the sad fate that had overtaken these loyal -comrades in the Red Castle when they could no longer avail themselves -of their own Vanadium Springs. - -"Vanadium?" murmured the Red Jinn, resting his head in his chubby -hands. "I believe I could make a substitute for that. Why, in my -laboratory--" - -"Yes, but this isn't your laboratory," sighed Randy, "and how ever -are we to get off this nine-sided island if all the fishermen are as -hateful as Bloff?" - -"Har! har! har! Now that is the least of our troubles." Jinnicky waved -airily to the owner of the cottage whose glum face had just appeared in -the window. "Ginger shall carry us back, as easily as he carries the -trays! First I shall ring the dinner bell, then when Ginger appears, I -shall hang on to his coat; you, Randy, must hang on to me and Kabumpo, -bless his big heart, shall hang on to you, being careful to hold the -Princess of this Other Planet in his trunk. Oh, my, mercy me! I'd -almost forgotten the cat." - -Scooping up Nina, Jinnicky waited till the Elegant Elephant had lifted -Planetty in his trunk, then, taking the silver bell from his sleeve, he -gave it a cheerful tinkle. - -"Ho, this!" puffed the little Jinn, blowing a kiss to the glowering -fisherman--"this is the finest place to leave I've ever left in my -whole life. Oh, my, mercy me! You and us! Here's Ginger! Hold on, -everybody! We're OFF!" - -And they were, sailing along as smoothly behind the little slave of the -bell as if they weighed nothing at all, and leaving Bloff running in -frantic circles round his hut--for he was now more convinced than ever -that this was a nightmare or that, worse still, he had taken entire -leave of his wits and senses. - - - - -CHAPTER 17 - -In the Red Jinn's Castle - - -While Jinnicky and his friends had been having all these ups and -downs and hair-raising experiences, Gludwig had passed an exceedingly -pleasant and profitable evening. As his enemies had dropped into the -cellar of the castle, the silver staff of Planetty missing him by a -wide margin had fallen harmlessly at his feet. Gludwig's army had had -much to say of this terrible weapon, and picking it up, he turned it -gloatingly over and over in his hands. It is true that he had all of -Jinnicky's treasures and possessions, but in his whole seven months -in the castle he had not discovered a way to use any of the Red Jinn's -magic, nor been able to cast a single spell or transformation. This had -taken half the zest out of his victory. But here, he had a simple and -easily managed magic weapon--or had he? - -Frowning suddenly, Gludwig wondered whether it only worked for the -silver war maiden who had used it so disastrously against his men. -Well, he would quickly find that out. Stepping to the door, he whistled -for the huge hound that guarded the outer passageway. As it came -bounding to his side he hurled the silver staff at its head. As the -staff struck, the hound's progress was instantly arrested and instead -of a live dog, he had a life-sized bronze with a look in the eyes that -made even Gludwig turn away. But the staff did work! As it returned to -his black hand, Gludwig hurried out of the throne room, rushing here -and there about the castle to cast the staff again and again at his -unsuspecting aids and servants. - -"Are you mad?" hissed Glubdo, coming upon his brother in the act -of petrifying a small boot boy. "If you continue in this reckless -fashion--who will do the work or wait upon us?" - -"Oh, I've only tried it on a dozen or so," said Gludwig, holding -the staff jealously behind his back. "Mind you don't overstep your -authority, brother, or I might be tempted to use it on you." - -Chuckling wickedly at Glubdo's shocked expression, Gludwig mounted -to his own quarters and hastily throwing off his clothes, curled up -in Jinnicky's sumptuous ruby trimmed four poster. He was too weary -to descend to the cellar and deal with his enemies, and resolving to -finish them off the first thing in the morning, the miserable imposter -fell asleep, Planetty's magic staff clutched tightly in his hands. - -While he slumbered, strange things were happening below stairs, for -just as the clock in the tower tolled two Ginger noiselessly set his -royal passengers down in the deserted throne room and vanished away -with a flashing smile. - -Snapping on a ruby lamp, the Red Jinn looked around him with a long -sigh of content. Motioning for Kabumpo to place the sleeping Princess -on his comfortable cushioned throne, he tiptoed about, touching one -after another of his possessions. - -"Where do you suppose he is?" whispered Randy, treading close behind -him. - -"I don't suppose, I know," Jinnicky whispered back. "Where would he be -but in my own royal bed? Come along; we'll take him by surprise and the -ears and throw him out of the window. Careful now, boys, step softly! -Confound the black-hearted scoundrel! He's been using the silver staff." - -Sorrowfully the little Jinn paused before the statue of his favorite -dog. - -"Never mind," comforted Randy. "When you find a way to restore Planetty -she'll find a way to undo this mischief, and you know you still have -Nina." - -"Yes," said Jinnicky, placing the Nonagon cat tenderly on a red -cushion. "Come on, then, we'll creep up on him. Nobody's around, -nobody's on guard, this should be easy." Stepping softly up the broad -stair, Kabumpo as lightly as any of them, the three made their way to -Jinnicky's vast bed room. - -"Leave him to me," begged the Elegant Elephant in a fierce whisper. -"I'll wring his neck with my own trunk." - -"No, wait--I'll ring my dinner bell," puffed Jinnicky, "and have Ginger -carry him to the other side of the Nonestic Ocean." - -"Even that wouldn't be far enough," muttered Randy, tiptoeing over to -the bed. "If we just knew where he had hidden Planetty's staff we could -turn him into a big brass monkey, for that's just what he looks like." - -"Ho! I do, do I?" The unexpected interruption made them all jump. -Gludwig, wakened by Kabumpo's first whisper, had lain silently watching -from beneath his long lashes. Now tossing back the silk covers, he -sprang up, throwing the staff straight at Randy's heart. - -"Now let's see what you'll turn to," he panted savagely. - -Too startled to move or act, Kabumpo and Jinnicky watched in fascinated -horror as the staff struck. And strike it did, but instead of -petrifying Randy, the rod passed like a flash of lightning through -the young King's body and returned to Gludwig's hand, leaving Randy -live and lively as ever he was, lively enough in fact to leap forward, -snatch the dangerous weapon and bring it down hard on his red-wigged -head. With a thud that splintered Jinnicky's best bed, Gludwig fell -back. - -"Hah! What did I tell you?" exclaimed Randy, and indeed the former -holder of the castle in his petrified condition looked as much like a -brass monkey as Randy had said he would. - -"Oh, my, mercy me! Oh, my! Oh, me!" With trembling fingers the Red Jinn -began to feel Randy all over. "With my own eyes I saw that staff go -through you, lad, yet here you are--no mark--no statue. I declare I, -I'm--" With tears running down his nose, Jinnicky embraced Randy over -and over. - -"Out of that bed with you!" screamed Kabumpo, "OUT!" And winding his -trunk round the rigid Gludwig, he flung him violently out of the -window. As the image fell with a resounding clunk into the vegetable -garden below, the Elegant Elephant sank on his haunches and mopped his -brow with one of the red silk bed sheets. - -"Never--never do I hope to live through such a moment again," he -groaned, blowing his trunk explosively. "I thought you were frozen and -done for, my boy--done for!" Rocking to and fro, Kabumpo blinked the -tears out of his eyes. - -"I don't understand yet why I wasn't," admitted Randy, wriggling out of -Jinnicky's grasp and touching the spot where the staff had struck him. - -"Someone or something was protecting you," declared the little Jinn, -nodding his head like a mandarin. "Do you carry any charms or talismans -against evil, my boy?" - -"Not a one." Turning out his pockets, Randy displayed a collection of -knives, rubber bands, coins and the other odds and ends that a man -usually stores in his pockets. Among the strange assortment were two -small squat jars and on these Jinnicky pounced with a triumphant little -crow. - -"Why, Randy Spandy Jack a Dandy, you have two bottles of my best weapon -turning elixir! How did you happen to have them?" - -"Those?" Randy squinted down at the bottles in positive mystification. -"Oh, I must have picked them up in the cellar--of course I did, I -remember distinctly now." - -"Oh, glory be! Glory me! Har, har, har! Am I a good wizard or am I a -good wizard? And to think you should have happened on the very thing -you'd be needing." Jinnicky danced in exuberant circles. - -"Sh--hush! Somebody's coming." Crowding all his belongings back into -his pocket, Randy turned in alarm. Half the courtiers and servants were -crowded into the doorway. And when they saw Jinnicky and his friends -instead of Gludwig in the Royal Apartment they began to back away in -chagrin and embarrassment. - -"Oh, it's all right," Jinnicky waved airily. "You threw in your -fortunes with the wrong man, that's all! You'll find Gludwig below in -the cabbages. But I forgive you! I forgive you!" he added impulsively -as his former mine workers began to stammer apologies and excuses. "Go -back to your beds now, but see that breakfast is on time and hot and -appetizing." - -With an impatient nod of his head, Jinnicky dismissed them and, looking -very downcast and crest-fallen, they hurried away. - -It was a long time before the Red Jinn and his rescuers could bring -themselves to retire. There was so much to talk of, to wonder over -and to plan. But finally, even Randy acknowledged that he was sleepy, -and confident that Jinnicky would find some way to help Planetty and -Thun in the morning, he curled up on a small red sofa and fell into a -peaceful slumber. As for Kabumpo, he stretched out on the floor and -Jinnicky, not caring to occupy a bed so recently slept in by Gludwig, -made himself comfortable on a bear rug beside the Elegant Elephant, -enjoying the first real rest he had had in seven long months. - - - - -CHAPTER 18 - -The Red Jinn Restored - - -Word of his return had quickly spread through the Red Jinn's vast -dominions, and when Jinnicky and his guests descended next morning a -whole loyal black legion were cheering from the courtyard and lined up -along the shore. After Gludwig had seized the castle and enslaved the -household, the rest of the natives had fled for their lives, refusing -to stay or acknowledge the red-wigged imposter as their ruler. Now that -Jinnicky was restored and safely at home again, their joy knew no -bounds. Appearing briefly on one of the castle balconies, the Red Jinn -made one of his best and merriest speeches, telling of his experiences -and assuring his faithful flock that Gludwig was gone and would trouble -them no more. To prove his statement, he pointed to the fallen figure -in the cabbage patch. Glubdo, fearing Jinnicky's anger, had already -left for an unknown destination, and now there was nothing to be done -but restore the Kingdom to its former cheerful status and prosperity. - -While the Red Jinn, Kabumpo, Randy and Nina breakfasted happily on the -terrace, a willing delegation marched off to the ruby mines to release -Alibabble, the courtiers and servants from their long servitude. The -miners who had taken their place in the castle and army were only -too willing to return to the mines, for with Jinnicky back in power -their hours were short, their wages high and each miner had his own -cozy cottage and garden. The petrified miners who had served in the -army that issued out to capture Randy and Kabumpo were stood along -the highways to act as sign posts and also as warnings to all of the -hard fate awaiting those who lent their ears to treachery and their -arms to rebellion. Randy could hardly contain himself while all these -necessary matters were attended to. The young monarch spent nearly all -his time arranging and rearranging the cushions on Jinnicky's throne, -where Planetty still lay in complete beauty and insensibility. Kabumpo -was almost as bad, pacing anxiously between the throne and the terrace -where Thun had been carried by fifty interested blacks. - -"Even if I cannot bring them back to life and activity, they are a -handsome addition to any castle," puffed Jinnicky, sinking down at last -on one of his red lacquer sofas and fanning himself rapidly with his -lid. "Oh, my mercy me! Don't look at me that way, my boy! Of course -I'll do my best and double best. But suppose my best is not good -enough?" - -"Oh, it will be," declared Kabumpo, giving the Red Jinn a little pat -on the back with his trunk. "I'll bet on your red magic any day in the -year. Look at the way that elixir saved Randy from the magic staff. -Where is Planetty's staff, by the way--sort of dangerous to leave it -about!" - -"It's locked up safely in my iron cabinet," said Jinnicky, closing one -eye. "So you really think I'm good, old Gaboscis--better even than the -Wizard of Oz, eh?" - -"Oh, much," asserted the Elegant Elephant, wagging his head positively. - -"All right, then, leave me--leave me," begged the Red Jinn, fairly -pushing them out of the throne room. "I've ordered all my magic -brought to me here, and here I'll stay till this pretty little -Princess and her charger come out of this metal trance. My, mercy me! -Trance--entrance--entrancing. Oh, har, har, har! I've an idea there, my -boys!" Bouncing off the sofa, Jinnicky skipped over to the Princess of -Anuther Planet. - -"Oh, Kabumpo! Do you think he really has?" whispered Randy, as he and -the Elegant Elephant hurried through the door of the throne room and -closed it softly behind them. - - - - -CHAPTER 19 - -Red Magic - - -The hours Randy and Kabumpo spent waiting for Jinnicky to summon them -to his throne room were the longest and most anxious they had ever -endured. - -"Even if he does restore them," groaned Randy, pacing feverishly up and -down one of the garden paths, "he'll have to send them straight back -to Anuther Planet." Rumpling up his hair, he looked wildly back at the -Elegant Elephant, who was just behind him. "And if they go," declared -the young King in a desperate voice, "I warn you, Kabumpo, I shall -jump on Thun's back and go with them." - -"What? And leave ME?" gasped the Elegant Elephant, putting back his -ears, "and your Kingdom and friends and all your responsibilities? -No, no, Randy, this won't do. Besides, you'd probably perish in that -outlandish metal wilderness with nothing to eat and no place to rest -your head. You can't do it, my boy, and furthermore, I won't let you." - -Snatching Randy up in his trunk, he held him as tightly as if he were -already running away instead of threatening to do so. In the course of -this bitter argument and as the young monarch began pummeling Kabumpo -futilely with his fists, they were both lifted bodily into the air and -set swiftly down in the Red Throne Room. - -"The Master has good news for you," explained Ginger. "LOOK!" With his -flashing white grin the little bell boy pointed to the throne itself -and then, as was his wont, inexplicably vanished. What he saw made -Randy rush forward and fling both arms round the Red Jinn's neck. - -"Oh, you did it! You really did it!" he cried, embracing Jinnicky all -over again. "How can I ever thank you enough?" - -"Where am I?" murmured the clear silvery voice that Kabumpo and Randy -knew so well. "Oh, what a netiful, netiful castle. Randy! Randy! And -there you are, Big Bumpo, and Thun! But how did we come out of that -debasement?" - -Without bothering to answer, Randy seized Planetty's hands and looked -and looked at her as if he were never going to stop. - -"You're the same, and yet different," he mused, scarcely able to -believe what he saw. "And Thun is the same, yet different, too." - -"I am Thun the Thunder Colt, now, then, and always!" announced Thun, -and gave a frightened jump, for he had actually spoken the words at the -same time they went spiraling up into a sparkling sentence over his -head. "Oh, Princess, Princess!" he whinnied joyously. "Do you hear? Do -you see? I can talk, I can hear, I can see and hear myself talking!" - -At each word Thun gave an ecstatic bound and then began racing madly -round and round the throne room, in and out between the red pillars, -leaping over chairs and tables in a positively hair-raising fashion. - -"Oh, my! Oh, my mercy me!" faltered Jinnicky, and scooping up the -Nonagon Cat, he jumped up on a red tabouret. "Stop him, somebody! Stop -him!" - -"Whoa, there! Come back here, Thun, come back; we want to look at you!" -Running after the Thunder Colt, Randy caught him by his plumy tail and -hung on till he actually did stop. - -"And he doesn't make a sound when he gallops--not a sound," marveled -Jinnicky, edging nervously over to his throne and taking a seat beside -Planetty. - -"A sound but soundless steed! Har, har, har! And do not mind his -breath, Randy, it cannot burn you now; it's cold fire and will not -singe a thing!" - -"But how did you do it?" demanded Kabumpo, touching Planetty lightly -with his trunk. - -"Oh, partly by my red incense, partly by my red reanimating rays, and -partly by an old incantation against entrancery," explained Jinnicky, -as Randy brought Thun back and handed him over to Planetty. "Do you -feel all right now, my dear, and as beautiful as you look?" - -"Oh, yes! Oh, very yes!" answered Planetty, smiling shyly round at the -Red Jinn. "And you, I know it now, you must be the Wizard so wonderful -of Ev?" - -"Wonderful! Wonderful? Well, I should say hay hurray!" Randy threw his -crown up in the air and caught it. "Wonderful enough to save himself -and us too. Oh, SO many things have happened, Planetty, since you and -Thun turned to cold metal in that awful cellar!" - -"I must make a note," muttered Jinnicky, patting Thun rather cautiously -on the neck. "I must make a note to clean and cheer up that cellar. My! -mercy! me! I haven't been down there for years!" - -"And if I never see it again, it will still be too soon," grunted -Kabumpo, leaning up against a red pillar. "Look, Jinnicky," he muttered -out of a corner of his mouth as Randy and Planetty moved over to one -of the windows and Randy began to tell the little Princess all that -had happened on Nonagon Isle and Thun began kicking up his heels and -talking to himself just for the fun of the thing. "Look, will these two -have to go straight back to their own planet?" - -"That is what is worrying me," Jinnicky said, speaking behind one -hand and patting his hound, also released from its enchantment, with -the other. "I managed to reawake and reanimate them, but, as you've -probably noticed, they are changed. Most certainly they are alive, but -no longer of living metal, see? The girl's hair is no longer of fine -spun metal strands, but it is real hair, still silvery in color as -her skin retains its iridescent sheen, but I'm very much afraid, as -things are, that the Princess and her colt are unfitted for life on -that far and rigorous planet of theirs. Yes," Jinnicky nodded his head -emphatically, "I'm very much afraid they'll have to content themselves -down here and live, eat and behave generally as natives of Oz or Ev." - -"WHAT?" trumpeted Kabumpo so fiercely Nina jumped out of Jinnicky's -arms and hid under the red throne. "Oh, say it again!" he begged, -swallowing convulsively. "Great Grump, why this is the best news I've -heard since you've come up out of the sea." - -"You mean they won't care?" exclaimed the Red Jinn, rubbing his palms -nervously together. - -"Care!" spluttered Kabumpo, waving his trunk toward the small red -sofa where Randy and Planetty sat in rapt and earnest conversation. -"They care for nothing but each other, old fellow. Right there, my -dear Wizard, sits the future Queen of Regalia, or I'm a blue-bearded -Nannygoat!" - -"Oh, my, mercy me! You don't say! Oh, har, har, har! How delightful! -Why, this calls for a celebration, a feast and a fiesta." Beaming -with interest and benevolence, Jinnicky banged on the side of his -throne with both fists and his elbows. "Prepare a feast," he ordered -breathlessly, as Alibabble, his Grand Advizier, entered in a calm -and dignified manner, showing no ill effects from his long months of -servitude in the ruby mines. "Prepare a feast, Old Tollywog, there's -to be a wedding, with rings, bells, palms, presents and all the fruity -fixings." - -"A wedding?" Alibabble looked sternly at his master, whom he instantly -suspected of being the groom, then as the Red Jinn, grinning wickedly, -waved to the engrossed pair on the red sofa, he nodded briefly. - -"In that event," he remarked, backing rapidly away as he spoke, "I -earnestly advise your Majesty to have a hair cut." - -"Oh, my mercy me! Did you hear that?" screamed the Jinn, as he turned -to Kabumpo, his face very red and angry. - -"I certainly did," roared the Elegant Elephant, giving Jinnicky a -playful little push. "Hasn't changed a bit, has he? And neither have -you. The last time I was in this castle he was advising the very same -thing." - -"That's all he ever thinks of," fumed Jinnicky, fingering his long -locks lovingly. Then as his eye rested again on the happy little -Princess and the prancing Thunder Colt, his expression grew milder. -"Randy! RANDY!" he called, jerking his thumb imperiously at his royal -guest. "See here, my boy," he explained, puffing out his cheeks -importantly, as Randy came to stand beside the throne. "I have done -MY part to save your little Princess and now you must do yours! -Unfortunately," Jinnicky's face grew long and dolorous, "unfortunately, -Planetty and Thun, from this time on, will be unable to exist on -Anuther Planet, so now, without a home or country, what will become of -them?" In mock distress the Red Jinn stared down at his young friend. - -"Oh, Jinnicky! How wonderful! Oh, Jinnicky, do you mean it? Thank you! -Thank you! THANK YOU!" Pressing the little Jinn's hands, Randy went -racing across the throne room. - -"Planetty," he whispered breathlessly in the little Princess' ear. "How -would you like to be Queen of Regalia, to go back to Oz with Thun, -Kabumpo and me and live in my castle for always?" - -"Oh, I think--" Planetty's soft yellow eyes fairly danced with surprise -and happiness--"I think that would be very nite. Oh, Randy, that would -be netiful, netiful!" - - - - -CHAPTER 20 - -King and Queen of Regalia - - -The feast to celebrate Randy's and Planetty's wedding was the grandest -and merriest in all the merry annals of Oz and Ev. It was, in fact, a -double celebration. The Red Jinn's return and his victory over Gludwig -was enough to keep his subjects cheering for days and to honor his -rescuers and especially the little Princess of Anuther Planet and her -royal consort, the Evians outdid themselves, putting on one show after -another. There were parades and pageants, fireworks and speeches and so -many presents and parties it makes me jealous just to think of them. -Over and over again Planetty and Thun rejoiced in their new life and -way of living, and eating the delicacies prepared by Jinnicky's chef -was not the least of its privileges. In the Red Jinn's castle eating -was a pleasure as well as a necessity. But after a month's merry stay, -during which every point of interest in Jinnicky's vast realm was -visited, the travelers bade the little Jinn a hearty and affectionate -adieu. - -Mounting Kabumpo and Thun, and laden with gifts and good wishes, the -young King and Queen set out for the Land of Oz and their own royal -castle. Uncle Hoochafoo had already received his instructions and as -Randy had predicted things were very gay, very different and very -cozy in that regal and mountainous little Kingdom. Planetty's staff, -powerful as ever, was a great help and protection to the young rulers -and the small red hand bag that packed itself went on many journeys -with the little Queen of the country. - -If this story were beginning instead of ending, I could tell you a -whole book of adventures they had traveling with Kabumpo and Thun -through the great Land of Oz, for these days the Elegant Elephant -spends almost as much time with Randy and Planetty as he does with the -Royal Family of Pumperdink, and most of it in travel. And in Oz, what a -gay way one travels! The other morning as I lay dreaming of them all, I -got to thinking how nite it would be if the horses on milk wagons here -were all soundless gallopers like Thun! - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Silver Princess in Oz, by -Ruth Plumly Thompson and L. 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