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+**Project Gutenberg's Etext of Glinda of Oz, by L. Frank Baum**
+#14 in the L. Frank Baum's Wonderful World Of Oz Series
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+Glinda of Oz
+
+by L. Frank Baum
+
+July, 1997  [Etext #961]
+
+
+**Project Gutenberg's Etext of Glinda of Oz, by L. Frank Baum**
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+
+
+                      GLINDA OF OZ
+
+In which are related the Exciting Experiences of Princess
+   Ozma of Oz, and Dorothy, in their hazardous journey
+      to the home of the Flatheads, and to the Magic
+         Isle of the Skeezers, and how they were
+              rescued from dire peril by the
+                  sorcery of Glinda the
+                           Good
+
+                      by L. FRANK BAUM
+                   "Royal Historian of Oz"
+
+
+This Book
+is Dedicated to
+My Son
+Robert Stanton Baum
+
+
+
+LIST OF CHAPTERS
+ 1  The Call of Duty
+ 2  Ozma and Dorothy
+ 3  The Mist Maidens
+ 4  The Magic Tent
+ 5  The Magic Stairway
+ 6  Flathead Mountain
+ 7  The Magic Isle
+ 8  Queen Coo-ee-oh
+ 9  Lady Aurex
+10  Under Water
+11  The Conquest of the Skeezers
+12  The Diamond Swan
+13  The Alarm Bell
+14  Ozma's Counsellors
+15  The Great Sorceress
+16  The Enchanted Fishes
+17  Under the Great Dome
+18  The Cleverness of Ervic
+19  Red Reera, the Yookoohoo..
+20  A Puzzling Problem
+21  The Three Adepts
+22  The Sunken Island
+23  The Magic Words
+24  Glinda's Triumph
+
+
+
+
+
+Chapter One
+
+The Call to Duty
+
+
+Glinda, the good Sorceress of Oz, sat in the grand
+court of her palace, surrounded by her maids of honor
+-- a hundred of the most beautiful girls of the
+Fairyland of Oz. The palace court was built of rare
+marbles, exquisitely polished. Fountains tinkled
+musically here and there; the vast colonnade, open to
+the south, allowed the maidens, as they raised their
+heads from their embroideries, to gaze upon a vista of
+rose-hued fields and groves of trees bearing fruits or
+laden with sweet-scented flowers. At times one of the
+girls would start a song, the others joining in the
+chorus, or one would rise and dance, gracefully swaying
+to the music of a harp played by a companion. And then
+Glinda smiled, glad to see her maids mixing play with
+work.
+
+Presently among the fields an object was seen moving,
+threading the broad path that led to the castle gate.
+Some of the girls looked upon this object enviously;
+the Sorceress merely gave it a glance and nodded her
+stately head as if pleased, for it meant the coming of
+her friend and mistress -- the only one in all the land
+that Glinda bowed to.
+
+Then up the path trotted a wooden animal attached to
+a red wagon, and as the quaint steed halted at the gate
+there descended from the wagon two young girls, Ozma,
+Ruler of Oz, and her companion, Princess Dorothy. Both
+were dressed in simple white muslin gowns, and as they
+ran up the marble steps of the palace they laughed and
+chatted as gaily as if they were not the most important
+persons in the world's loveliest fairyland.
+
+The maids of honor had risen and stood with bowed
+heads to greet the royal Ozma, while Glinda came
+forward with outstretched arms to greet her guests.
+
+"We've just come on a visit, you know," said Ozma.
+"Both Dorothy and I were wondering how we should pass
+the day when we happened to think we'd not been to your
+Quadling Country for weeks, so we took the Sawhorse and
+rode straight here."
+
+"And we came so fast," added Dorothy, "that our hair
+is blown all fuzzy, for the Sawhorse makes a wind of
+his own. Usually it's a day's journey from the Em'rald
+City, but I don't s'pose we were two hours on the way."
+
+"You are most welcome," said Glinda the Sorceress,
+and led them through the court to her magnificent
+reception hall. Ozma took the arm of her hostess, but
+Dorothy lagged behind, kissing some of the maids she
+knew best, talking with others, and making them all
+feel that she was their friend. When at last she joined
+Glinda and Ozma in the reception hall, she found them
+talking earnestly about the condition of the people,
+and how to make them more happy and contented --
+although they were already the happiest and most
+contented folks in all the world.
+
+This interested Ozma, of course, but it didn't
+interest Dorothy very much, so the little girl ran over
+to a big table on which was lying open Glinda's Great
+Book of Records.
+
+This Book is one of the greatest treasures in Oz, and
+the Sorceress prizes it more highly than any of her
+magical possessions. That is the reason it is firmly
+attached to the big marble table by means of golden
+chains, and whenever Glinda leaves home she locks the
+Great Book together with five jeweled padlocks, and
+carries the keys safely hidden in her bosom.
+
+I do not suppose there is any magical thing in any
+fairyland to compare with the Record Book, on the pages
+of which are constantly being printed a record of every
+event that happens in any part of the world, at exactly
+the moment it happens.  And the records are always
+truthful, although sometimes they do not give as many
+details as one could wish. But then, lots of things
+happen, and so the records have to be brief or even
+Glinda's Great Book could not hold them all.
+
+Glinda looked at the records several times each day,
+and Dorothy, whenever she visited the Sorceress, loved
+to look in the Book and see what was happening
+everywhere. Not much was recorded about the Land of Oz,
+which is usually peaceful and uneventful, but today
+Dorothy found something which interested her. Indeed,
+the printed letters were appearing on the page even
+while she looked.
+
+"This is funny!" she exclaimed. "Did you know,
+Ozma, that there were people in your Land of Oz
+called Skeezers?"
+
+"Yes," replied Ozma, coming to her side, "I know that
+on Professor Wogglebug's Map of the Land of Oz there is
+a place marked 'Skeezer,' but what the Skeezers are
+like I do not know. No one I know has ever seen them or
+heard of them. The Skeezer Country is 'way at the upper
+edge of the Gillikin Country, with the sandy,
+impassable desert on one side and the mountains of
+Oogaboo on another side. That is a part of the Land of
+Oz of which I know very little."
+
+"I guess no one else knows much about it either,
+unless it's the Skeezers themselves," remarked Dorothy.
+"But the Book says: 'The Skeezers of Oz have declared
+war on the Flatheads of Oz, and there is likely to be
+fighting and much trouble as the result.'"
+
+"Is that all the Book says?" asked Ozma.
+
+"Every word," said Dorothy, and Ozma and Glinda both
+looked at the Record and seemed surprised and
+perplexed.
+
+"Tell me, Glinda," said Ozma, "who are the
+Flatheads?"
+
+"I cannot, your Majesty," confessed the Sorceress.
+"Until now I never have heard of them, nor have I ever
+heard the Skeezers mentioned. In the faraway corners of
+Oz are hidden many curious tribes of people, and those
+who never leave their own countries and never are
+visited by those from our favored part of Oz, naturally
+are unknown to me. However, if you so desire, I can
+learn through my arts of sorcery something of the
+Skeezers and the Flatheads."
+
+"I wish you would," answered Ozma seriously. "You
+see, Glinda, if these are Oz people they are my
+subjects and I cannot allow any wars or troubles in the
+Land I rule, if I can possibly help it."
+
+"Very well, your Majesty," said the Sorceress, "I
+will try to get some information to guide you. Please
+excuse me for a time, while I retire to my Room of
+Magic and Sorcery."
+
+"May I go with you?" asked Dorothy, eagerly.
+
+"No, Princess," was the reply. "It would spoil the
+charm to have anyone present."
+
+So Glinda locked herself in her own Room of Magic and
+Dorothy and Ozma waited patiently for her to come out
+again.
+
+In about an hour Glinda appeared, looking grave and
+thoughtful.
+
+"Your Majesty," she said to Ozma, "the Skeezers live
+on a Magic Isle in a great lake. For that reason --
+because the Skeezers deal in magic -- I can learn
+little about them."
+
+"Why, I didn't know there was a lake in that part of
+Oz," exclaimed Ozma. "The map shows a river running
+through the Skeezer Country, but no lake."
+
+"That is because the person who made the map never
+had visited that part of the country," explained the
+Sorceress. "The lake surely is there, and in the lake
+is an island -- a Magic Isle -- and on that island live
+the people called the Skeezers."
+
+"What are they like?" inquired the Ruler of Oz.
+
+"My magic cannot tell me that," confessed Glinda,
+"for the magic of the Skeezers prevents anyone outside
+of their domain knowing anything about them."
+
+"The Flatheads must know, if they're going to fight
+the Skeezers," suggested Dorothy
+
+"Perhaps so," Glinda replied, "but I can get little
+information concerning the Flatheads, either. They are
+people who inhabit a mountain just south of the Lake of
+the Skeezers. The mountain has steep sides and a broad,
+hollow top, like a basin, and in this basin the
+Flatheads have their dwellings. They also are magic-
+workers and usually keep to themselves and allow no one
+from outside to visit them. I have learned that the
+Flatheads number about one hundred people -- men, women
+and children -- while the Skeezers number just one
+hundred and one."
+
+"What did they quarrel about, and why do they wish to
+fight one another?" was Ozma's next question.
+
+"I cannot tell your Majesty that," said Glinda.
+
+"But see here!" cried Dorothy, "it's against the law
+for anyone but Glinda and the Wizard to work magic in
+the Land of Oz, so if these two strange people are
+magic-makers they are breaking the law and ought to be
+punished!" Ozma smiled upon her little friend.
+
+"Those who do not know me or my laws," she said,
+"cannot be expected to obey my laws. If we know nothing
+of the Skeezers or the Flatheads, it is likely that
+they know nothing of us."
+
+"But they ought to know, Ozma, and we ought to know.
+Who's going to tell them, and how are we going to make
+them behave?"
+
+"That," returned Ozma, "is what I am now considering.
+What would you advise, Glinda?"
+
+The Sorceress took a little time to consider this
+question, before she made reply. Then she said: "Had
+you not learned of the existence of the Flatheads and
+the Skeezers, through my Book of Records, you would
+never have worried about them or their quarrels. So, if
+you pay no attention to these peoples, you may never
+hear of them again."
+
+"But that wouldn't be right," declared Ozma. "I am
+Ruler of all the Land of Oz, which includes the
+Gillikin Country, the Quadling Country, the Winkie
+Country and the Munchkin Country, as well as the
+Emerald City, and being the Princess of this fairyland
+it is my duty to make all my people -- wherever they
+may be -- happy and content and to settle their
+disputes and keep them from quarreling. So, while the
+Skeezers and Flatheads may not know me or that I am
+their lawful Ruler, I now know that they inhabit my
+kingdom and are my subjects, so I would not be doing my
+duty if I kept away from them and allowed them to
+fight."
+
+"That's  a  fact,  Ozma,"  commented  Dorothy.
+"You've got to go up to the Gillikin Country and make
+these people behave themselves and make up their
+quarrels. But how are you going to do it?"
+
+"That is what is puzzling me also, your Majesty,"
+said the Sorceress. "It may be dangerous for you to go
+into those strange countries, where the people are
+possibly fierce and warlike."
+
+"I am not afraid," said Ozma, with a smile.
+
+"'Tisn't a question of being 'fraid," argued Dorothy.
+"Of course we know you're a fairy, and can't be killed
+or hurt, and we know you've a lot of magic of your own
+to help you. But, Ozma dear, in spite of all this
+you've been in trouble before, on account of wicked
+enemies, and it isn't right for the Ruler of all Oz to
+put herself in danger."
+
+"Perhaps I shall be in no danger at all," returned
+Ozma, with a little laugh. "You mustn't imagine danger,
+Dorothy, for one should only imagine nice things, and
+we do not know that the Skeezers and Flatheads are
+wicked people or my enemies. Perhaps they would be good
+and listen to reason."
+
+"Dorothy is right, your Majesty," asserted the
+Sorceress. "It is true we know nothing of these faraway
+subjects, except that they intend to fight one another,
+and have a certain amount of magic power at their
+command. Such folks do not like to submit to
+interference and they are more likely to resent your
+coming among them than to receive you kindly and
+graciously, as is your due."
+
+"If you had an army to take with you," added Dorothy,
+"it wouldn't be so bad; but there isn't such a thing as
+an army in all Oz."
+
+"I have one soldier," said Ozma.
+
+"Yes, the soldier with the green whiskers; but he's
+dreadful 'fraid of his gun and never loads it. I'm sure
+he'd run rather than fight. And one soldier, even if he
+were brave, couldn't do much against two hundred and
+one Flatheads and Skeezers."
+
+"What then, my friends, would you suggest?" inquired
+Ozma.
+
+"I advise you to send the Wizard of Oz to them, and
+let him inform them that it is against the laws of Oz
+to fight, and that you command them to settle their
+differences and become friends," proposed Glinda. "Let
+the Wizard tell them they will be punished if they
+refuse to obey the commands of the Princess of all the
+Land of Oz."
+
+Ozma shook her head, to indicate that the advice was
+not to her satisfaction.
+
+"If they refuse, what then?" she asked. "I should be
+obliged to carry out my threat and punish them, and
+that would be an unpleasant and difficult thing to do.
+I am sure it would be better for me to go peacefully,
+without an army and armed only with my authority as
+Ruler, and plead with them to obey me. Then, if they
+prove obstinate I could resort to other means to win
+their obedience."
+
+"It's a ticklish thing, anyhow you look at it,"
+sighed Dorothy. "I'm sorry now that I noticed the
+Record in the Great Book."
+
+"But can't you realize, my dear, that I must do my
+duty, now that I am aware of this trouble?" asked Ozma.
+"I am fully determined to go at once to the Magic Isle
+of the Skeezers and to the enchanted mountain of the
+Flatheads, and prevent war and strife between their
+inhabitants. The only question to decide is whether it
+is better for me to go alone, or to assemble a party of
+my friends and loyal supporters to accompany me."
+
+"If you go I want to go, too," declared Dorothy.
+"Whatever happens it's going to be fun -- 'cause all
+excitement is fun -- and I wouldn't miss it for the
+world!"
+
+Neither Ozma nor Glinda paid any attention to this
+statement, for they were gravely considering the
+serious aspect of this proposed adventure.
+
+"There are plenty of friends who would like to go
+with you," said the Sorceress, "but none of them would
+afford your Majesty any protection in case you were in
+danger. You are yourself the most powerful fairy in Oz,
+although both I and the Wizard have more varied arts of
+magic at our command. However, you have one art that no
+other in all the world can equal -- the art of winning
+hearts and making people love to bow to your gracious
+presence. For that reason I believe you can accomplish
+more good alone than with a large number of subjects in
+your train."
+
+"I believe that also," agreed the Princess. "I shall
+be quite able to take care of myself, you know, but
+might not be able to protect others so well. I do not
+look for opposition, however. I shall speak to these
+people in kindly words and settle their dispute --
+whatever it may be -- in a just manner."
+
+"Aren't you going to take me?" pleaded Dorothy.
+"You'll need some companion, Ozma."
+
+The Princess smiled upon her little friend.
+
+"I see no reason why you should not accompany me,"
+was her reply. "Two girls are not very warlike and they
+will not suspect us of being on any errand but a kindly
+and peaceful one. But, in order to prevent war and
+strife between these angry peoples, we must go to them
+at once. Let us return immediately to the Emerald City
+and prepare to start on our journey early tomorrow
+morning."
+
+Glinda was not quite satisfied with this plan, but
+could not think of any better way to meet the problem.
+She knew that Ozma, with all her gentleness and sweet
+disposition, was accustomed to abide by any decision
+she had made and could not easily be turned from her
+purpose. Moreover she could see no great danger to the
+fairy Ruler of Oz in the undertaking, even though the
+unknown people she was to visit proved obstinate. But
+Dorothy was not a fairy; she was a little girl who had
+come from Kansas to live in the Land of Oz. Dorothy
+might encounter dangers that to Ozma would be as
+nothing but to an "Earth child" would be very serious.
+
+The very fact that Dorothy lived in Oz, and had been
+made a Princess by her friend Ozma, prevented her from
+being killed or suffering any great bodily pain as long
+as she lived in that fairyland. She could not grow big,
+either, and would always remain the same little girl
+who had come to Oz, unless in some way she left that
+fairyland or was spirited away from it. But Dorothy was
+a mortal, nevertheless, and might possibly be
+destroyed, or hidden where none of her friends could
+ever find her. She could, for instance be cut into
+pieces, and the pieces, while still alive and free from
+pain, could be widely scattered; or she might be buried
+deep underground or "destroyed" in other ways by evil
+magicians, were she not properly protected. These facts
+Glinda was considering while she paced with stately
+tread her marble hall.
+
+Finally the good Sorceress paused and drew a ring
+from her finger, handing it to Dorothy.
+
+"Wear this ring constantly until your return," she
+said to the girl. "If serious danger threatens you,
+turn the ring around on your finger once to the right
+and another turn to the left. That will ring the alarm
+bell in my palace and I will at once come to your
+rescue. But do not use the ring unless you are actually
+in danger of destruction. While you remain with
+Princess Ozma I believe she will be able to protect you
+from all lesser ills."
+
+"Thank you, Glinda," responded Dorothy gratefully, as
+she placed the ring on her finger. "I'm going to wear
+my Magic Belt which I took from the Nome King, too, so
+I guess I'll be safe from anything the Skeezers and
+Flatheads try to do to me."
+
+Ozma had many arrangements to make before she could
+leave her throne and her palace in the Emerald City,
+even for a trip of a few days, so she bade goodbye to
+Glinda and with Dorothy climbed into the Red Wagon. A
+word to the wooden Sawhorse started that astonishing
+creature on the return journey, and so swiftly did he
+run that Dorothy was unable to talk or do anything but
+hold tight to her seat all the way back to the Emerald
+City.
+
+
+
+
+Chapter Two
+
+Ozma and Dorothy
+
+
+
+Residing in Ozma's palace at this time was a live
+Scarecrow, a most remarkable and intelligent creature
+who had once ruled the Land of Oz for a brief period
+and was much loved and respected by all the people.
+Once a Munchkin farmer had stuffed an old suit of
+clothes with straw and put stuffed boots on the feet
+and used a pair of stuffed cotton gloves for hands. The
+head of the Scarecrow was a stuffed sack fastened to
+the body, with eyes, nose, mouth and ears painted on
+the sack. When a hat had been put on the head, the
+thing was a good imitation of a man. The farmer placed
+the Scarecrow on a pole in his cornfield and it came to
+life in a curious manner. Dorothy, who was passing by
+the field, was hailed by the live Scarecrow and lifted
+him off his pole. He then went with her to the Emerald
+City, where the Wizard of Oz gave him some excellent
+brains, and the Scarecrow soon became an important
+personage.
+
+Ozma considered the Scarecrow one of her best friends
+and most loyal subjects, so the morning after her visit
+to Glinda she asked him to take her place as Ruler of
+the Land of Oz while she was absent on a journey, and
+the Scarecrow at once consented without asking any
+questions.
+
+Ozma had warned Dorothy to keep their journey a
+secret and say nothing to anyone about the Skeezers and
+Flatheads until their return, and Dorothy promised to
+obey. She longed to tell her girl friends, tiny Trot
+and Betsy Bobbin, of the adventure they were
+undertaking, but refrained from saying a word on the
+subject although both these girls lived with her in
+Ozma's palace.
+
+Indeed, only Glinda the Sorceress knew they were
+going, until after they had gone, and even the
+Sorceress didn't know what their errand might be.
+
+Princess Ozma took the Sawhorse and the Red Wagon,
+although she was not sure there was a wagon road all
+the way to the Lake of the Skeezers. The Land of Oz is
+a pretty big place, surrounded on all sides by a Deadly
+Desert which it is impossible to cross, and the Skeezer
+Country, according to the map, was in the farthest
+northwestern part of Oz, bordering on the north desert.
+As the Emerald City was exactly in the center of Oz, it
+was no small journey from there to the Skeezers.
+
+Around the Emerald City the country is thickly
+settled in every direction, but the farther away you
+get from the city the fewer people there are, until
+those parts that border on the desert have small
+populations. Also those faraway sections are little
+known to the Oz people, except in the south, where
+Glinda lives and where Dorothy has often wandered on
+trips of exploration.
+
+The least known of all is the Gillikin Country, which
+harbors many strange bands of people among its
+mountains and valleys and forests and streams, and Ozma
+was now bound for the most distant part of the Gillikin
+Country.
+
+"I am really sorry," said Ozma to Dorothy, as they
+rode away in the Red Wagon, "not to know more about the
+wonderful Land I rule. It is my duty to be acquainted
+with every tribe of people and every strange and hidden
+country in all Oz, but I am kept so busy at my palace
+making laws and planning for the comforts of those who
+live near the Emerald City, that I do not often find
+time to make long journeys."
+
+"Well," replied Dorothy, "we'll prob'bly find out a
+lot on this trip, and we'll learn all about the
+Skeezers and Flatheads, anyhow. Time doesn't make much
+diff'rence in the Land of Oz, 'cause we don't grow up,
+or get old, or become sick and die, as they do other
+places; so, if we explore one place at a time, we'll
+by-an'-by know all about every nook and corner in Oz."
+
+Dorothy wore around her waist the Nome King's Magic
+Belt, which protected her from harm, and the Magic Ring
+which Glinda had given her was on her finger. Ozma had
+merely slipped a small silver wand into the bosom of
+her gown, for fairies do not use chemicals and herbs
+and the tools of wizards and sorcerers to perform their
+magic. The Silver Wand was Ozma's one weapon of offense
+and defense and by its use she could accomplish many
+things.
+
+They had left the Emerald City just at sunrise and
+the Sawhorse traveled very swiftly over the roads
+towards the north, but in a few hours the wooden animal
+had to slacken his pace because the farm houses had
+become few and far between and often there were no
+paths at all in the direction they wished to follow. At
+such times they crossed the fields, avoiding groups of
+trees and fording the streams and rivulets whenever
+they came to them. But finally they reached a broad
+hillside closely covered with scrubby brush, through
+which the wagon could not pass.
+
+"It will be difficult even for you and me to get
+through without tearing our dresses," said Ozma, "so we
+must leave the Sawhorse and the Wagon here until our
+return."
+
+"That's all right," Dorothy replied, "I'm tired
+riding, anyhow. Do you s'pose, Ozma, we're anywhere
+near the Skeezer Country?"
+
+"I cannot tell, Dorothy dear, but I know we've been
+going in the right direction, so we are sure to find it
+in time."
+
+The scrubby brush was almost like a grove of small
+trees, for it reached as high as the heads of the two
+girls, neither of whom was very tall. They were obliged
+to thread their way in and out, until Dorothy was
+afraid they would get lost, and finally they were
+halted by a curious thing that barred their further
+progress. It was a huge web -- as if woven by gigantic
+spiders -- and the delicate, lacy film was fastened
+stoutly to the branches of the bushes and continued to
+the right and left in the form of a half circle. The
+threads of this web were of a brilliant purple color
+and woven into numerous artistic patterns, but it
+reached from the ground to branches above the heads of
+the girls and formed a sort of fence that hedged them
+in.
+
+"It doesn't look very strong, though," said Dorothy.
+"I wonder if we couldn't break through." She tried but
+found the web stronger than it seemed. All her efforts
+could not break a single thread.
+
+"We must go back, I think, and try to get around this
+peculiar web," Ozma decided.
+
+So they turned to the right and, following the web
+found that it seemed to spread in a regular circle. On
+and on they went until finally Ozma said they had
+returned to the exact spot from which they had started.
+"Here is a handkerchief you dropped when we were here
+before," she said to Dorothy.
+
+"In that case, they must have built the web behind
+us, after we walked into the trap," exclaimed the
+little girl.
+
+"True," agreed Ozma, "an enemy has tried to imprison
+us."
+
+"And they did it, too," said Dorothy. "I wonder who
+it was."
+
+"It's a spider-web, I'm quite sure," returned Ozma,
+"but it must be the work of enormous spiders."
+
+"Quite right!" cried a voice behind them. Turning
+quickly around they beheld a huge purple spider sitting
+not two yards away and regarding them with its small
+bright eyes.
+
+Then there crawled from the bushes a dozen more great
+purple spiders, which saluted the first one and said:
+
+"The web is finished, O King, and the strangers are
+our prisoners."
+
+Dorothy did not like the looks of these spiders at
+all. They had big heads, sharp claws, small eyes and
+fuzzy hair all over their purple bodies.
+
+"They look wicked," she whispered to Ozma. "What
+shall we do?"
+
+Ozma gazed upon the spiders with a serious face.
+
+"What is your object in making us prisoners?" she
+inquired.
+
+"We need someone to keep house for us," answered the
+Spider King. "There is sweeping and dusting to be done,
+and polishing and washing of dishes, and that is work
+my people dislike to do. So we decided that if any
+strangers came our way we would capture them and make
+them our servants."
+
+"I am Princess Ozma, Ruler of all Oz," said the girl
+with dignity.
+
+"Well, I am King of all Spiders," was the reply, "and
+that makes me your master. Come with me to my palace
+and I will instruct you in your work."
+
+"I won't," said Dorothy indignantly. "We won't have
+anything to do with you."
+
+"We'll see about that," returned the Spider in a
+severe tone, and the next instant he made a dive
+straight at Dorothy, opening the claws in his legs as
+if to grab and pinch her with the sharp points. But the
+girl was wearing her Magic Belt and was not harmed. The
+Spider King could not even touch her. He turned swiftly
+and made a dash at Ozma, but she held her Magic Wand
+over his head and the monster recoiled as if it had
+been struck.
+
+"You'd better let us go," Dorothy advised him, "for
+you see you can't hurt us."
+
+"So I see," returned the Spider King angrily. "Your
+magic is greater than mine. But I'll not help you to
+escape. If you can break the magic web my people have
+woven you may go; if not you must stay here and
+starve." With that the Spider King uttered a peculiar
+whistle and all the spiders disappeared.
+
+"There is more magic in my fairyland than I dreamed
+of," remarked the beautiful Ozma, with a sigh of regret.
+"It seems that my laws have not been obeyed, for even
+these monstrous spiders defy me by means of Magic."
+
+"Never mind that now," said Dorothy; "let's see what
+we can do to get out of this trap."
+
+They now examined the web with great care and were
+amazed at its strength. Although finer than the finest
+silken hairs, it resisted all their efforts to work
+through, even though both girls threw all their weight
+against it.
+
+"We must find some instrument which will cut the
+threads of the web," said Ozma, finally. "Let us look
+about for such a tool."
+
+So they wandered among the bushes and finally came to
+a shallow pool of water, formed by a small bubbling
+spring. Dorothy stooped to get a drink and discovered
+in the water a green crab, about as big as her hand.
+The crab had two big, sharp claws, and as soon as
+Dorothy saw them she had an idea that those claws could
+save them.
+
+"Come out of the water," she called to the crab; "I
+want to talk to you."
+
+Rather lazily the crab rose to the surface and caught
+hold of a bit of rock. With his head above the water he
+said in a cross voice:
+
+"What do you want?"
+
+"We want you to cut the web of the purple spiders
+with your claws, so we can get through it," answered
+Dorothy. "You can do that, can't you?"
+
+"I suppose so," replied the crab. "But if I do what
+will you give me?"
+
+"What do you wish?" Ozma inquired.
+
+"I wish to be white, instead of green," said the
+crab. "Green crabs are very common, and white ones are
+rare; besides the purple spiders, which infest this
+hillside, are afraid of white crabs. Could you make me
+white if I should agree to cut the web for you?"
+
+"Yes," said Ozma, "I can do that easily. And, so you
+may know I am speaking the truth, I will change your
+color now."
+
+She waved her silver wand over the pool and the crab
+instantly became snow-white -- all except his eyes,
+which remained black. The creature saw his reflection
+in the water and was so delighted that he at once
+climbed out of the pool and began moving slowly toward
+the web, by backing away from the pool. He moved so
+very slowly that Dorothy cried out impatiently: "Dear
+me, this will never do!" Caching the crab in her hands
+she ran with him to the web.
+
+She had to hold him up even then, so he could reach
+with his claws strand after strand of the filmy purple
+web, which he was able to sever with one nip.
+
+When enough of the web had been cut to allow them to
+pass, Dorothy ran back to the pool and placed the white
+crab in the water, after which she rejoined Ozma. They
+were just in time to escape through the web, for
+several of the purple spiders now appeared, having
+discovered that their web had been cut, and had the
+girls not rushed through the opening the spiders would
+have quickly repaired the cuts and again imprisoned
+them.
+
+Ozma and Dorothy ran as fast as they could and
+although the angry spiders threw a number of strands of
+web after them, hoping to lasso them or entangle them
+in the coils, they managed to escape and clamber to the
+top of the hill.
+
+
+
+
+Chapter Three
+
+The Mist Maidens
+
+
+
+From the top of the hill Ozma and Dorothy looked down
+into the valley beyond and were surprised to find it
+filled with a floating mist that was as dense as smoke.
+Nothing in the valley was visible except these rolling
+waves of mist, but beyond, on the other side, rose a
+grassy hill that appeared quite beautiful.
+
+"Well," said Dorothy, "what are we to do, Ozma? Walk
+down into that thick fog, an' prob'bly get lost in it,
+or wait till it clears away?"
+
+"I'm not sure it will clear away, however long we
+wait," replied Ozma, doubtfully. "If we wish to get on,
+I think we must venture into the mist."
+
+"But we can't see where we're going, or what we're
+stepping on," protested Dorothy.  "There may be
+dreadful things mixed up in that fog, an' I'm scared
+just to think of wading into it."
+
+Even Ozma seemed to hesitate. She was silent and
+thoughtful for a little while, looking at the rolling
+drifts that were so gray and forbidding. Finally she
+said:
+
+"I believe this is a Mist Valley, where these moist
+clouds always remain, for even the sunshine above does
+not drive them away. Therefore the Mist Maids must live
+here, and they are fairies and should answer my call."
+
+She placed her two hands before her mouth, forming a
+hollow with them, and uttered a clear, thrilling, bird-
+like cry. It floated far out over the mist waves and
+presently was answered by a similar sound, as of a far-
+off echo.
+
+Dorothy was much impressed. She had seen many strange
+things since coming to this fairy country, but here was
+a new experience. At ordinary times Ozma was just like
+any little girl one might chance to meet -- simple,
+merry, lovable as could be -- yet with a certain
+reserve that lent her dignity in her most joyous moods.
+There were times, however, when seated on her throne
+and commanding her subjects, or when her fairy powers
+were called into use, when Dorothy and all others about
+her stood in awe of their lovely girl Ruler and
+realized her superiority.
+
+Ozma waited. Presently out from the billows rose
+beautiful forms, clothed in fleecy, trailing garments
+of gray that could scarcely be distinguished from the
+mist. Their hair was mist-color, too; only their
+gleaming arms and sweet, pallid faces proved they were
+living, intelligent creatures answering the call of a
+sister fairy.
+
+Like sea nymphs they rested on the bosom of the
+clouds, their eyes turned questioningly upon the two
+girls who stood upon the bank. One came quite near and
+to her Ozma said:
+
+"Will you please take us to the opposite hillside? We
+are afraid to venture into the mist. I am Princess Ozma
+of Oz, and this is my friend Dorothy, a Princess of
+Oz."
+
+The Mist Maids came nearer, holding out their arms.
+Without hesitation Ozma advanced and allowed them to
+embrace her and Dorothy plucked up courage to follow.
+Very gently the Mist Maids held them. Dorothy thought
+the arms were cold and misty -- they didn't seem real
+at all -- yet they supported the two girls above the
+surface of the billows and floated with them so swiftly
+to the green hillside opposite that the girls were
+astonished to find themselves set upon the grass before
+they realized they had fairly started.
+
+"Thank you!" said Ozma gratefully, and Dorothy also
+added her thanks for the service.
+
+The Mist Maids made no answer, but they smiled and
+waved their hands in good-bye as again they floated out
+into the mist and disappeared from view.
+
+
+
+
+Chapter Four
+
+The Magic Tent
+
+
+"Well," said Dorothy with a laugh, "that was easier
+than I expected. It's worth while, sometimes, to be a
+real fairy. But I wouldn't like to be that kind, and
+live in a dreadful fog all the time."
+
+They now climbed the bank and found before them a
+delightful plain that spread for miles in all
+directions. Fragrant wild flowers were scattered
+throughout the grass; there were bushes bearing lovely
+blossoms and luscious fruits; now and then a group of
+stately trees added to the beauty of the landscape. But
+there were no dwellings or signs of life.
+
+The farther side of the plain was bordered by a row
+of palms, and just in front of the palms rose a queerly
+shaped hill that towered above the plain like a
+mountain. The sides of this hill were straight up and
+down; it was oblong in shape and the top seemed flat
+and level.
+
+"Oh, ho!" cried Dorothy; "I'll bet that's the
+mountain Glinda told us of, where the Flatheads live."
+
+"If it is," replied Ozma, "the Lake of the Skeezers
+must be just beyond the line of palm trees. Can you
+walk that far, Dorothy?"
+
+"Of course, in time," was the prompt answer. "I'm
+sorry we had to leave the Sawhorse and the Red Wagon
+behind us, for they'd come in handy just now; but with
+the end of our journey in sight a tramp across these
+pretty green fields won't tire us a bit."
+
+It was a longer tramp than they suspected, however,
+and night overtook them before they could reach the
+flat mountain. So Ozma proposed they camp for the night
+and Dorothy was quite ready to approve. She didn't like
+to admit to her friend she was tired, but she told
+herself that her legs "had prickers in 'em," meaning
+they had begun to ache.
+
+Usually when Dorothy started on a journey of
+exploration or adventure, she carried with her a basket
+of food, and other things that a traveler in a strange
+country might require, but to go away with Ozma was
+quite a different thing, as experience had taught her.
+The fairy Ruler of Oz only needed her silver wand --
+tipped at one end with a great sparkling emerald -- to
+provide through its magic all that they might need.
+Therefore Ozma, having halted with her companion and
+selected a smooth, grassy spot on the plain, waved her
+wand in graceful curves and chanted some mystic words
+in her sweet voice, and in an instant a handsome tent
+appeared before them. The canvas was striped purple and
+white, and from the center pole fluttered the royal
+banner of Oz.
+
+"Come, dear," said Ozma, taking Dorothy's hand, "I am
+hungry and I'm sure you must be also; so let us go in
+and have our feast."
+
+On entering the tent they found a table set for two,
+with snowy linen, bright silver and sparkling
+glassware, a vase of roses in the center and many
+dishes of delicious food, some smoking hot, waiting to
+satisfy their hunger. Also, on either side of the tent
+were beds, with satin sheets, warm blankets and pillows
+filled with swansdown. There were chairs, too, and
+tall lamps that lighted the interior of the tent with a
+soft, rosy glow.
+
+Dorothy, resting herself at her fairy friend's
+command, and eating her dinner with unusual enjoyment,
+thought of the wonders of magic. If one were a fairy
+and knew the secret laws of nature and the mystic words
+and ceremonies that commanded those laws, then a simple
+wave of a silver wand would produce instantly all that
+men work hard and anxiously for through weary years.
+And Dorothy wished in her kindly, innocent heart, that
+all men and women could be fairies with silver wands,
+and satisfy all their needs without so much work and
+worry, for then, she imagined, they would have all
+their working hours to be happy in. But Ozma, looking
+into her friend's face and reading those thoughts, gave
+a laugh and said:
+
+"No, no, Dorothy, that wouldn't do at all. Instead of
+happiness your plan would bring weariness to the world.
+If every one could wave a wand and have his wants
+fulfilled there would be little to wish for. There
+would be no eager striving to obtain the difficult, for
+nothing would then be difficult, and the pleasure of
+earning something longed for, and only to be secured by
+hard work and careful thought, would be utterly lost.
+There would be nothing to do you see, and no interest
+in life and in our fellow creatures. That is all that
+makes life worth our while -- to do good deeds and to
+help those less fortunate than ourselves."
+
+"Well, you're a fairy, Ozma. Aren't you happy?" asked
+Dorothy
+
+"Yes, dear, because I can use my fairy powers to make
+others happy. Had I no kingdom to rule, and no subjects
+to look after, I would be miserable. Also, you must
+realize that while I am a more powerful fairy than any
+other inhabitant of Oz, I am not as powerful as Glinda
+the Sorceress, who has studied many arts of magic that
+I know nothing of. Even the little Wizard of Oz can do
+some things I am unable to accomplish, while I can
+accomplish things unknown to the Wizard. This is to
+explain that I'm not all-powerful, by any means. My
+magic is simply fairy magic, and not sorcery or
+wizardry."
+
+"All the same," said Dorothy, "I'm mighty glad you
+could make this tent appear, with our dinners and beds
+all ready for us."
+
+Ozma smiled.
+
+"Yes, it is indeed wonderful," she agreed. "Not all
+fairies know that sort of magic, but some fairies can
+do magic that fills me with astonishment. I think that
+is what makes us modest and unassuming -- the fact that
+our magic arts are divided, some being given each of
+us. I'm glad I don't know everything, Dorothy, and that
+there still are things in both nature and in wit for me
+to marvel at."
+
+Dorothy couldn't quite understand this, so she said
+nothing more on the subject and presently had a new
+reason to marvel. For when they had quite finished
+their meal table and contents disappeared in a flash.
+
+"No dishes to wash, Ozma!" she said with a laugh. "I
+guess you'd make a lot of folks happy if you could
+teach 'em just that one trick."
+
+For an hour Ozma told stories, and talked with
+Dorothy about various people in whom they were
+interested. And then it was bedtime, and they undressed
+and crept into their soft beds and fell asleep almost
+as soon as their heads touched their pillows.
+
+
+
+
+Chapter Five
+
+The Magic Stairway
+
+
+
+The flat mountain looked much nearer in the clear
+light of the morning sun, but Dorothy and Ozma knew
+there was a long tramp before them, even yet. They
+finished dressing only to find a warm, delicious
+breakfast awaiting them, and having eaten they left the
+tent and started toward the mountain which was their
+first goal. After going a little way Dorothy looked
+back and found that the fairy tent had entirely
+disappeared. She was not surprised, for she knew this
+would happen.
+
+"Can't your magic give us a horse an' wagon, or an
+automobile?" inquired Dorothy.
+
+"No, dear; I'm sorry that such magic is beyond my
+power," confessed her fairy friend.
+
+"Perhaps Glinda could," said Dorothy thoughtfully.
+
+"Glinda has a stork chariot that carries her through
+the air," said Ozma, "but even our great Sorceress
+cannot conjure up other modes of travel. Don't forget
+what I told you last night, that no one is powerful
+enough to do everything."
+
+"Well, I s'pose I ought to know that, having lived so
+long in the Land of Oz," replied Dorothy; "but I can't
+do any magic at all, an' so I can't figure out e'zactly
+how you an' Glinda an' the Wizard do it."
+
+"Don't try," laughed Ozma. "But you have at least one
+magical art, Dorothy: you know the trick of winning all
+hearts."
+
+"No, I don't," said Dorothy earnestly. "If I really
+can do it, Ozma, I am sure I don't know how I do it."
+
+It took them a good two hours to reach the foot of
+the round, flat mountain, and then they found the
+sides so steep that they were like the wall of a house.
+
+"Even my purple kitten couldn't climb 'em," remarked
+Dorothy, gazing upward.
+
+"But there is some way for the Flatheads to get down
+and up again," declared Ozma; "otherwise they couldn't
+make war with the Skeezers, or even meet them and
+quarrel with them."
+
+"That's so, Ozma. Let's walk around a ways; perhaps
+we'll find a ladder or something."
+
+They walked quite a distance, for it was a big
+mountain, and as they circled around it and came to the
+side that faced the palm trees, they suddenly
+discovered an entrance way cut out of the rock wall.
+This entrance was arched overhead and not very deep
+because it merely led to a short flight of stone
+stairs.
+
+"Oh, we've found a way to the top at last," announced
+Ozma, and the two girls turned and walked straight
+toward the entrance. Suddenly they bumped against
+something and stood still, unable to proceed farther.
+
+"Dear me!" exclaimed Dorothy, rubbing her nose, which
+had struck something hard, although she could not see
+what it was; "this isn't as easy as it looks. What has
+stopped us, Ozma? Is it magic of some sort?"
+
+Ozma was feeling around, her bands outstretched
+before her.
+
+"Yes, dear, it is magic," she replied. "The Flatheads
+had to have a way from their mountain top from the
+plain below, but to prevent enemies from rushing up the
+stairs to conquer them, they have built, at a small
+distance before the entrance a wall of solid stone, the
+stones being held in place by cement, and then they
+made the wall invisible."
+
+"I wonder why they did that?" mused Dorothy. "A wall
+would keep folks out anyhow, whether it could be seen
+or not, so there wasn't any use making it invisible.
+Seems to me it would have been better to have left it
+solid, for then no one would have seen the entrance
+behind it. Now anybody can see the entrance, as we did.
+And prob'bly anybody that tries to go up the stairs
+gets bumped, as we did."
+
+Ozma made no reply at once. Her face was grave and
+thoughtful.
+
+"I think I know the reason for making the wall
+invisible," she said after a while. "The Flatheads use
+the stairs for coming down and going up. If there was a
+solid stone wall to keep them from reaching the plain
+they would themselves be imprisoned by the wall. So
+they had to leave some place to get around the wall,
+and, if the wall was visible, all strangers or enemies
+would find the place to go around it and then the wall
+would be useless. So the Flatheads cunningly made their
+wall invisible, believing that everyone who saw the
+entrance to the mountain would walk straight toward it,
+as we did, and find it impossible to go any farther. I
+suppose the wall is really high and thick, and can't be
+broken through, so those who find it in their way are
+obliged to go away again."
+
+"Well," said Dorothy, "if there's a way around the
+wall, where is it?"
+
+"We must find it," returned Ozma, and began feeling
+her way along the wall. Dorothy followed and began to
+get discouraged when Ozma had walked nearly a quarter
+of a mile away from the entrance. But now the invisible
+wall curved in toward the side of the mountain and
+suddenly ended, leaving just space enough between the
+wall and the mountain for an ordinary person to pass
+through.
+
+The girls went in, single file, and Ozma explained
+that they were now behind the barrier and could go
+back to the entrance. They met no further obstructions.
+
+"Most people, Ozma, wouldn't have figured this thing
+out the way you did," remarked Dorothy. "If I'd been
+alone the invisible wall surely would have stumped me."
+
+Reaching the entrance they began to mount the stone
+stairs. They went up ten stairs and then down five
+stairs, following a passage cut from the rock. The
+stairs were just wide enough for the two girls to walk
+abreast, arm in arm. At the bottom of the five stairs
+the passage turned to the right, and they ascended ten
+more stairs, only to find at the top of the flight five
+stairs leading straight down again. Again the passage
+turned abruptly, this time to the left, and ten more
+stairs led upward.
+
+The passage was now quite dark, for they were in the
+heart of the mountain and all daylight had been shut
+out by the turns of the passage. However, Ozma drew her
+silver wand from her bosom and the great jewel at its
+end gave out a lustrous, green-tinted light which
+lighted the place well enough for them to see their way
+plainly.
+
+Ten steps up, five steps down, and a turn, this way
+or that. That was the program, and Dorothy figured that
+they were only gaining five stairs upward each trip
+that they made.
+
+"Those Flatheads must be funny people," she said to
+Ozma. "They don't seem to do anything in a bold
+straightforward manner. In making this passage they
+forced everyone to walk three times as far as is
+necessary. And of course this trip is just as tiresome
+to the Flatheads as it is to other folks."
+
+"That is true," answered Ozma; "yet it is a clever
+arrangement to prevent their being surprised by
+intruders. Every time we reach the tenth step of a
+flight, the pressure of our feet on the stone makes a
+bell ring on top of the mountain, to warn the Flatheads
+of our coming."
+
+"How do you know that?" demanded Dorothy, astonished.
+
+"I've heard the bell ever since we started," Ozma
+told her. "You could not hear it, I know, but when I am
+holding my wand in my hand I can hear sounds a great
+distance off."
+
+"Do you hear anything on top of the mountain 'cept
+the bell?" inquired Dorothy
+
+"Yes. The people are calling to one another in alarm
+and many footsteps are approaching the place where we
+will reach the flat top of the mountain."
+
+This made Dorothy feel somewhat anxious. "I'd thought
+we were going to visit just common, ordinary people,"
+she remarked, "but they're pretty clever, it seems, and
+they know some kinds of magic, too. They may be
+dangerous, Ozma. P'raps we'd better stayed at home."
+
+Finally the upstairs-and-downstairs passage seemed
+coming to an end, for daylight again appeared ahead of
+the two girls and Ozma replaced her wand in the bosom
+of her gown. The last ten steps brought them to the
+surface, where they found themselves surrounded by
+such a throng of queer people that for a time they
+halted, speechless, and stared into the faces that
+confronted them.
+
+Dorothy knew at once why these mountain people were
+called Flatheads. Their heads were really flat on top,
+as if they had been cut off just above the eyes and
+ears. Also the heads were bald, with no hair on top at
+all, and the ears were big and stuck straight out, and
+the noses were small and stubby, while the mouths of
+the Flatheads were well shaped and not unusual. Their
+eyes were perhaps their best feature, being large and
+bright and a deep violet in color.
+
+The costumes of the Flatheads were all made of metals
+dug from their mountain. Small gold, silver, tin and
+iron discs, about the size of pennies, and very thin,
+were cleverly wired together and made to form knee
+trousers and jackets for the men and skirts and waists
+for the women. The colored metals were skillfully mixed
+to form stripes and checks of various sorts, so that
+the costumes were quite gorgeous and reminded Dorothy
+of pictures she had seen of Knights of old clothed
+armor.
+
+Aside from their flat heads, these people were not
+really bad looking. The men were armed with bows and
+arrows and had small axes of steel stuck in their metal
+belts. They wore no hats nor ornaments.
+
+
+
+
+Chapter Six
+
+Flathead Mountain
+
+
+
+When they saw that the intruders on their mountain
+were only two little girls, the Flatheads grunted with
+satisfaction and drew back, permitting them to see what
+the mountain top looked like. It was shaped like a
+saucer, so that the houses and other buildings -- all
+made of rocks -- could not be seen over the edge by
+anyone standing in the plain below.
+
+But now a big fat Flathead stood before the girls and
+in a gruff voice demanded:
+
+"What are you doing here? Have the Skeezers sent you
+to spy upon us?"
+
+"I am Princess Ozma, Ruler of all the Land of Oz."
+
+"Well, I've never heard of the Land of Oz, so you may
+be what you claim," returned the Flathead.
+
+"This is the Land of Oz -- part of it, anyway,"
+exclaimed Dorothy. "So Princess Ozma rules you Flathead
+people, as well as all the other people in Oz."
+
+The man laughed, and all the others who stood around
+laughed, too. Some one in the crowd called:
+
+"She'd better not tell the Supreme Dictator about
+ruling the Flatheads. Eh, friends?"
+
+"No, indeed!" they all answered in positive tones.
+
+"Who is your Supreme Dictator?" answered Ozma.
+
+"I think I'll let him tell you that himself,"
+answered the man who had first spoken. "You have broken
+our laws by coming here; and whoever you are the
+Supreme Dictator must fix your punishment. Come along
+with me."
+
+He started down a path and Ozma and Dorothy followed
+him without protest, as they wanted to see the most
+important person in this queer country. The houses they
+passed seemed pleasant enough and each had a little
+yard in which were flowers and vegetables. Walls of
+rock separated the dwellings, and all the paths were
+paved with smooth slabs of rock. This seemed their only
+building material and they utilized it cleverly for
+every purpose.
+
+Directly in the center of the great saucer stood a
+larger building which the Flathead informed the girls
+was the palace of the Supreme Dictator. He led them
+through an entrance hall into a big reception room,
+where they sat upon stone benches and awaited the
+coming of the Dictator. Pretty soon he entered from
+another room -- a rather lean and rather old Flathead,
+dressed much like the others of this strange race, and
+only distinguished from them by the sly and cunning
+expression of his face. He kept his eyes half closed
+and looked through the slits of them at Ozma and
+Dorothy, who rose to receive him.
+
+"Are you the Supreme Dictator of the Flatheads?"
+inquired Ozma.
+
+"Yes, that's me," he said, rubbing his hands slowly
+together. "My word is law. I'm the head of the
+Flatheads on this flat headland."
+
+"I am Princess Ozma of Oz, and I have come from the
+Emerald City to --"
+
+"Stop a minute," interrupted the Dictator, and turned
+to the man who had brought the girls there. "Go away,
+Dictator Felo Flathead!" he commanded. "Return to your
+duty and guard the Stairway. I will look after these
+strangers." The man bowed and departed, and Dorothy
+asked wonderingly:
+
+"Is he a Dictator, too?"
+
+"Of course," was the answer. "Everybody here is a
+dictator of something or other. They're all office
+holders. That's what keeps them contented. But I'm the
+Supreme Dictator of all, and I'm elected once a year.
+This is a democracy, you know, where the people are
+allowed to vote for their rulers. A good many others
+would like to be Supreme Dictator, but as I made a law
+that I am always to count the votes myself, I am always
+elected."
+
+"What is your name?" asked Ozma.
+
+"I am called the Su-dic, which is short for Supreme
+Dictator. I sent that man away because the moment you
+mentioned Ozma of Oz, and the Emerald City, I knew who
+you are. I suppose I'm the only Flathead that ever
+heard of you, but that's because I have more brains
+than the rest."
+
+Dorothy was staring hard at the Su-dic.
+
+"I don't see how you can have any brains at all," she
+remarked, "because the part of your head is gone where
+brains are kept."
+
+"I don't blame you for thinking that," he said. "Once
+the Flatheads had no brains because, as you say, there
+is no upper part to their heads, to hold brains. But
+long, long ago a band of fairies flew over this country
+and made it all a fairyland, and when they came to the
+Flatheads the fairies were sorry to find them all very
+stupid and quite unable to think. So, as there was no
+good place in their bodies in which to put brains the
+Fairy Queen gave each one of us a nice can of brains to
+carry in his pocket and that made us just as
+intelligent as other people. See," he continued, "here
+is one of the cans of brains the fairies gave us." He
+took from a pocket a bright tin can having a pretty red
+label on it which said: Concentrated Brains, Extra
+Quality."
+
+"And does every Flathead have the same kind of
+brains?" asked Dorothy.
+
+"Yes, they're all alike. Here's another can." From
+another pocket he produced a second can of brains.
+
+"Did the fairies give you a double supply?" inquired
+Dorothy.
+
+"No, but one of the Flatheads thought he wanted to be
+the Su-dic and tried to get my people to rebel against
+me, so I punished him by taking away his brains. One
+day my wife scolded me severely, so I took away her can
+of brains. She didn't like that and went out and robbed
+several women of their brains. Then I made a law that
+if anyone stole another's brains, or even tried to
+borrow them, he would forfeit his own brains to the Su-
+dic. So each one is content with his own canned brains
+and my wife and I are the only ones on the mountain
+with more than one can. I have three cans and that
+makes me very clever -- so clever that I'm a good
+Sorcerer, if I do say it myself. My poor wife had four
+cans of brains and became a remarkable witch, but alas!
+that was before those terrible enemies, the Skeezers,
+transformed her into a Golden Pig."
+
+"Good gracious!" cried Dorothy; "is your wife really
+a Golden Pig?"
+
+"She is. The Skeezers did it and so I have declared
+war on them. In revenge for making my wife a Pig I
+intend to ruin their Magic Island and make the Skeezers
+the slaves of the Flatheads!"
+
+The Su-dic was very angry now; his eyes flashed and
+his face took on a wicked and fierce expression. But
+Ozma said to him, very sweetly and in a friendly voice:
+
+"I am sorry to hear this. Will you please tell me
+more about your troubles with the Skeezers?  Then
+perhaps I can help you."
+
+She was only a girl, but there was dignity in her
+pose and speech which impressed the Su-dic.
+
+"If you are really Princess Ozma of Oz," the Flathead
+said, "you are one of that band of fairies who, under
+Queen Lurline, made all Oz a Fairyland. I have heard
+that Lurline left one of her own fairies to rule Oz,
+and gave the fairy the name of Ozma."
+
+"If you knew this why did you not come to me at the
+Emerald City and tender me your loyalty and obedience?"
+asked the Ruler of Oz.
+
+"Well, I only learned the fact lately, and I've been
+too busy to leave home," he explained, looking at the
+floor instead of into Ozma's eyes. She knew he had
+spoken a falsehood, but only said:
+
+"Why did you quarrel with the Skeezers?"
+
+"It was this way," began the Su-dic, glad to change
+the subject. "We Flatheads love fish, and as we have no
+fish on this mountain we would sometimes go to the Lake
+of the Skeezers to catch fish. This made the Skeezers
+angry, for they declared the fish in their lake
+belonged to them and were under their protection and
+they forbade us to catch them. That was very mean and
+unfriendly in the Skeezers, you must admit, and when we
+paid no attention to their orders they set a guard on
+the shore of the lake to prevent our fishing.
+
+"Now, my wife, Rora Flathead, having four cans of
+brains, had become a wonderful witch, and fish being
+brain food, she loved to eat fish better than any one
+of us. So she vowed she would destroy every fish in the
+lake, unless the Skeezers let us catch what we wanted.
+They defied us, so Rora prepared a kettleful of magic
+poison and went down to the lake one night to dump it
+all in the water and poison the fish. It was a clever
+idea, quite worthy of my dear wife, but the Skeezer
+Queen -- a young lady named Coo-ee-oh -- hid on the
+bank of the lake and taking Rora unawares, transformed
+her into a Golden Pig. The poison was spilled on the
+ground and wicked Queen Coo-ee-oh, not content with her
+cruel transformation, even took away my wife's four
+cans of brains, so she is now a common grunting pig
+without even brains enough to know her own name."
+
+"Then," said Ozma thoughtfully, "the Queen of the
+Skeezers must be a Sorceress."
+
+"Yes," said the Su-dic, "but she doesn't know much
+magic, after all. She is not as powerful as Rora
+Flathead was, nor half as powerful as I am now, as
+Queen Coo-ee-oh will discover when we fight our great
+battle and destroy her."
+
+"The Golden Pig can't be a witch any more, of
+course," observed Dorothy.
+
+"No; even had Queen Coo-ee-oh left her the four cans
+of brains, poor Rora, in a pig's shape, couldn't do any
+witchcraft. A witch has to use her fingers, and a pig
+has only cloven hoofs."
+
+"It seems a sad story," was Ozma's comment, "and all
+the trouble arose because the Flatheads wanted fish
+that did not belong to them."
+
+"As for that," said the Su-dic, again angry, "I made
+a law that any of my people could catch fish in the
+Lake of the Skeezers, whenever they wanted to. So the
+trouble was through the Skeezers defying my law."
+
+"You can only make laws to govern your own people,"
+asserted Ozma sternly. "I, alone, am empowered to make
+laws that must be obeyed by all the peoples of Oz."
+
+"Pooh!" cried the Su-dic scornfully. "You can't make
+me obey your laws, I assure you. I know the extent of
+your powers, Princess Ozma of Oz, and I know that I am
+more powerful than you are. To prove it I shall keep
+you and your companion prisoners in this mountain until
+after we have fought and conquered the Skeezers. Then,
+if you promise to be good, I may let you go home
+again."
+
+Dorothy was amazed by this effrontery and defiance of
+the beautiful girl Ruler of Oz, whom all until now had
+obeyed without question. But Ozma, still unruffled and
+dignified, looked at the Su-dic and said:
+
+"You did not mean that. You are angry and speak
+unwisely, without reflection. I came here from my
+palace in the Emerald City to prevent war and to make
+peace between you and the Skeezers. I do not approve of
+Queen Coo-ee-oh's action in transforming your wife Rora
+into a pig, nor do I approve of Rora's cruel attempt to
+poison the fishes in the lake. No one has the right to
+work magic in my dominions without my consent, so the
+Flatheads and the Skeezers have both broken my laws --
+which must be obeyed."
+
+"If you want to make peace," said the Su-dic, "make
+the Skeezers restore my wife to her proper form and
+give back her four cans of brains. Also make them agree
+to allow us to catch fish in their lake."
+
+"No," returned Ozma, "I will not do that, for it
+would be unjust. I will have the Golden Pig again
+transformed into your wife Rora, and give her one can
+of brains, but the other three cans must be restored to
+those she robbed. Neither may you catch fish in the
+Lake of the Skeezers, for it is their lake and the fish
+belong to them. This arrangement is just and honorable,
+and you must agree to it."
+
+"Never!" cried the Su-dic. Just then a pig came
+running into the room, uttering dismal grunts. It was
+made of solid gold, with joints at the bends of the
+legs and in the neck and jaws. The Golden Pig's eyes
+were rubies, and its teeth were polished ivory.
+
+"There!" said the Su-dic, "gaze on the evil work of
+Queen Coo-ee-oh, and then say if you can prevent my
+making war on the Skeezers. That grunting beast was
+once my wife -- the most beautiful Flathead on our
+mountain and a skillful witch. Now look at her!"
+
+"Fight the Skeezers, fight the Skeezers, fight the
+Skeezers!" grunted the Golden Pig.
+
+"I will fight the Skeezers," exclaimed the Flathead
+chief, "and if a dozen Ozmas of Oz forbade me I would
+fight just the same."
+
+"Not if I can prevent it!" asserted Ozma.
+
+"You can't prevent it. But since you threaten me,
+I'll have you confined in the bronze prison until the
+war is over," said the Su-dic. He whistled and four
+stout Flatheads, armed with axes and spears, entered
+the room and saluted him. Turning to the men he said:
+"Take these two girls, bind them with wire ropes and
+cast them into the bronze prison."
+
+The four men bowed low and one of them asked:
+
+"Where are the two girls, most noble Su-dic?"
+
+The Su-dic turned to where Ozma and Dorothy had stood
+but they had vanished!
+
+
+
+
+Chapter Seven
+
+The Magic Isle
+
+
+
+Ozma, seeing it was useless to argue with the Supreme
+Dictator of the Flatheads. had been considering how
+best to escape from his power. She realized that his
+sorcery might be difficult to overcome, and when he
+threatened to cast Dorothy and her into a bronze prison
+she slipped her hand into her bosom and grasped her
+silver wand. With the other hand she grasped the hand
+of Dorothy, but these motions were so natural that the
+Su-dic did not notice them. Then when he turned to meet
+his four soldiers, Ozma instantly rendered both herself
+and Dorothy invisible and swiftly led her companion
+around the group of Flatheads and out of the room. As
+they reached the entry and descended the stone steps,
+Ozma whispered:
+
+"Let us run, dear! We are invisible, so no one will
+see us."
+
+Dorothy understood and she was a good runner. Ozma
+had marked the place where the grand stairway that led
+to the plain was located, so they made directly for it.
+Some people were in the paths but these they dodged
+around. One or two Flatheads heard the pattering of
+footsteps of the girls on the stone pavement and
+stopped with bewildered looks to gaze around them, but
+no one interfered with the invisible fugitives.
+
+The Su-dic had lost no time in starting the chase. He
+and his men ran so fast that they might have overtaken
+the girls before they reached the stairway had not the
+Golden Pig suddenly run across their path. The Su-dic
+tripped over the pig and fell flat, and his four men
+tripped over him and tumbled in a heap. Before they
+could scramble up and reach the mouth of the passage it
+was too late to stop the two girls.
+
+There was a guard on each side of the stairway, but
+of course they did not see Ozma and Dorothy as they
+sped past and descended the steps. Then they had to go
+up five steps and down another ten, and so on, in the
+same manner in which they had climbed to the top of the
+mountain. Ozma lighted their way with her wand and they
+kept on without relaxing their speed until they reached
+the bottom. Then they ran to the right and turned the
+corner of the invisible wall just as the Su-dic and his
+followers rushed out of the arched entrance and looked
+around in an attempt to discover the fugitives.
+
+Ozma now knew they were safe, so she told Dorothy to
+stop and both of them sat down on the grass until they
+could breathe freely and become rested from their mad
+flight.
+
+As for the Su-dic, he realized he was foiled and soon
+turned and climbed his stairs again. He was very angry
+-- angry with Ozma and angry with himself -- because,
+now that he took time to think, he remembered that he
+knew very well the art of making people invisible, and
+visible again, and if he had only thought of it in time
+he could have used his magic knowledge to make the
+girls visible and so have captured them easily.
+However, it was now too late for regrets and he
+determined to make preparations at once to march all
+his forces against the Skeezers.
+
+"What shall we do next?" asked Dorothy, when they
+were rested.
+
+"Let us find the Lake of the Skeezers," replied Ozma.
+"From what that dreadful Su-dic said I imagine the
+Skeezers are good people and worthy of our friendship,
+and if we go to them we may help them to defeat the
+Flatheads."
+
+"I s'pose we can't stop the war now," remarked
+Dorothy reflectively, as they walked toward the row of
+palm trees.
+
+"No; the Su-dic is determined to fight the Skeezers,
+so all we can do is to warn them of their danger and
+help them as much as possible."
+
+"Of course you'll punish the Flatheads," said
+Dorothy.
+
+"Well, I do not think the Flathead people are as much
+to blame as their Supreme Dictator," was the answer.
+"If he is removed from power and his unlawful magic
+taken from him, the people will probably be good and
+respect the laws of the Land of Oz, and live at peace
+with all their neighbors in the future."
+
+"I hope so," said Dorothy with a sigh of doubt
+
+The palms were not far from the mountain and the
+girls reached them after a brisk walk. The huge trees
+were set close together, in three rows, and had been
+planted so as to keep people from passing them, but the
+Flatheads had cut a passage through this barrier and
+Ozma found the path and led Dorothy to the other side.
+
+Beyond the palms they discovered a very beautiful
+scene. Bordered by a green lawn was a great lake fully
+a mile from shore to shore, the waters of which were
+exquisitely blue and sparkling, with little wavelets
+breaking its smooth surface where the breezes touched
+it. In the center of this lake appeared a lovely
+island, not of great extent but almost entirely covered
+by a huge round building with glass walls and a high
+glass dome which glittered brilliantly in the sunshine.
+Between the glass building and the edge of the island
+was no grass, flowers or shrubbery, but only an expanse
+of highly polished white marble. There were no boats on
+either shore and no signs of life could be seen
+anywhere on the island.
+
+"Well," said Dorothy, gazing wistfully at the island,
+we've found the Lake of the Skeezers and their Magic
+Isle. I guess the Skeezers are in that big glass
+palace, but we can't get at 'em."
+
+
+
+
+Chapter Eight
+
+Queen Coo-ee-oh
+
+
+
+Princess Ozma considered the situation gravely. Then
+she tied her handkerchief to her wand and, standing at
+the water's edge, waved the handkerchief like a flag,
+as a signal. For a time they could observe no response.
+
+"I don't see what good that will do," said Dorothy.
+"Even if the Skeezers are on that island and see us,
+and know we're friends, they haven't any boats to come
+and get us."
+
+But the Skeezers didn't need boats, as the girls soon
+discovered. For on a sudden an opening appeared at the
+base of the palace and from the opening came a slender
+shaft of steel, reaching out slowly but steadily across
+the water in the direction of the place where they
+stood. To the girls this steel arrangement looked like
+a triangle, with the base nearest the water. It came
+toward them in the form of an arch, stretching out from
+the palace wall until its end reached the bank and
+rested there, while the other end still remained on the
+island.
+
+Then they saw that it was a bridge, consisting of a
+steel footway just broad enough to walk on, and two
+slender guide rails, one on either side, which were
+connected with the footway by steel bars. The bridge
+looked rather frail and Dorothy feared it would not
+bear their weight, but Ozma at once called, "Come on!"
+and started to walk across, holding fast to the rail on
+either side. So Dorothy summoned her courage and
+followed after. Before Ozma had taken three steps she
+halted and so forced Dorothy to halt, for the bridge
+was again moving and returning to the island.
+
+"We need not walk after all," said Ozma. So they
+stood still in their places and let the steel bridge
+draw them onward. Indeed, the bridge drew them well
+into the glass-domed building which covered the island,
+and soon they found themselves standing in a marble
+room where two handsomely dressed young men stood on a
+platform to receive them.
+
+Ozma at once stepped from the end of the bridge to
+the marble platform, followed by Dorothy, and then the
+bridge disappeared with a slight clang of steel and a
+marble slab covered the opening from which it had
+emerged.
+
+The two young men bowed profoundly to Ozma, and one
+of them said:
+
+"Queen Coo-ee-oh bids you welcome, O Strangers. Her
+Majesty is waiting to receive you in her palace."
+
+"Lead on," replied Ozma with dignity.
+
+But instead of "leading on," the platform of marble
+began to rise, carrying them upward through a square
+hole above which just fitted it. A moment later they
+found themselves within the great glass dome that
+covered almost all of the island.
+
+Within this dome was a little village, with houses,
+streets, gardens and parks. The houses were of colored
+marbles, prettily designed, with many stained-glass
+windows, and the streets and gardens seemed well cared
+for. Exactly under the center of the lofty dome was a
+small park filled with brilliant flowers, with an
+elaborate fountain, and facing this park stood a
+building larger and more imposing than the others.
+Toward this building the young men escorted Ozma and
+Dorothy.
+
+On the streets and in the doorways or open windows of
+the houses were men, women and children, all richly
+dressed. These were much like other people in different
+parts of the Land of Oz, except that instead of seeming
+merry and contented they all wore expressions of much
+solemnity or of nervous irritation. They had beautiful
+homes, splendid clothes, and ample food, but Dorothy at
+once decided something was wrong with their lives and
+that they were not happy. She said nothing, however,
+but looked curiously at the Skeezers.
+
+At the entrance of the palace Ozma and Dorothy were
+met by two other young men, in uniform and armed with
+queer weapons that seemed about halfway between pistols
+and guns, but were like neither. Their conductors bowed
+and left them, and the two in uniforms led the girls
+into the palace.
+
+In a beautiful throne room, surrounded by a dozen or
+more young men and women, sat the Queen of the
+Skeezers, Coo-ee-oh. She was a girl who looked older
+than Ozma or Dorothy -- fifteen or sixteen, at least --
+and although she was elaborately dressed as if she were
+going to a ball she was too thin and plain of feature
+to be pretty. But evidently Queen Coo-ee-oh did not
+realize this fact, for her air and manner betrayed her
+as proud and haughty and with a high regard for her own
+importance. Dorothy at once decided she was "snippy"
+and that she would not like Queen Coo-ee-oh as a
+companion.
+
+The Queen's hair was as black as her skin was white
+and her eyes were black, too. The eyes, as she calmly
+examined Ozma and Dorothy, had a suspicious and
+unfriendly look in them, but she said quietly:
+
+"I know who you are, for I have consulted my Magic
+Oracle, which told me that one calls herself Princess
+Ozma, the Ruler of all the Land of Oz, and the other is
+Princess Dorothy of Oz, who came from a country called
+Kansas. I know nothing of the Land of Oz, and I know
+nothing of Kansas."
+
+"Why, this is the Land of Oz!" cried Dorothy. "It's a
+part of the Land of Oz, anyhow, whether you know it or
+not."
+
+"Oh, in-deed!" answered Queen Coo-ee-oh, scornfully.
+"I suppose you will claim next that this Princess Ozma,
+ruling the Land of Oz, rules me!"
+
+"Of course," returned Dorothy. "There's no doubt of
+it."
+
+The Queen turned to Ozma.
+
+"Do you dare make such a claim?" she asked.
+
+By this time Ozma had made up her mind as to the
+character of this haughty and disdainful creature,
+whose self-pride evidently led her to believe herself
+superior to all others.
+
+"I did not come here to quarrel with your Majesty,"
+said the girl Ruler of Oz, quietly. "What and who I am
+is well established, and my authority comes from the
+Fairy Queen Lurline, of whose band I was a member when
+Lurline made all Oz a Fairyland. There are several
+countries and several different peoples in this broad
+land, each of which has its separate rulers, Kings,
+Emperors and Queens. But all these render obedience to
+my laws and acknowledge me as the supreme Ruler."
+
+"If other Kings and Queens are fools that does not
+interest me in the least," replied Coo-ee-oh,
+disdainfully. "In the Land of the Skeezers I alone am
+supreme. You are impudent to think I would defer to you
+-- or to anyone else."
+
+"Let us not speak of this now, please," answered
+Ozma. "Your island is in danger, for a powerful foe is
+preparing to destroy it."
+
+"Pah! The Flatheads. I do not fear them."
+
+"Their Supreme Dictator is a Sorcerer."
+
+"My magic is greater than his. Let the Flatheads
+come! They will never return to their barren mountain-
+top. I will see to that."
+
+Ozma did not like this attitude, for it meant that
+the Skeezers were eager to fight the Flatheads, and
+Ozma's object in coming here was to prevent fighting
+and induce the two quarrelsome neighbors to make peace.
+She was also greatly disappointed in Coo-ee-oh, for the
+reports of Su-dic had led her to imagine the Queen more
+just and honorable than were the Flatheads. Indeed Ozma
+reflected that the girl might be better at heart than
+her self-pride and overbearing manner indicated, and in
+any event it would be wise not to antagonize her but to
+try to win her friendship.
+
+"I do not like wars, your Majesty," said Ozma. "In
+the Emerald City, where I rule thousands of people, and
+in the countries near to the Emerald City, where
+thousands more acknowledge my rule, there is no army at
+all, because there is no quarreling and no need to
+fight. If differences arise between my people, they
+come to me and I judge the cases and award justice to
+all. So, when I learned there might be war between two
+faraway people of Oz, I came here to settle the dispute
+and adjust the quarrel."
+
+"No one asked you to come," declared Queen Coo-ee-oh.
+"It is my business to settle this dispute, not yours.
+You say my island is a part of the Land of Oz, which
+you rule, but that is all nonsense, for I've never
+heard of the Land of Oz, nor of you. You say you are a
+fairy, and that fairies gave you command over me. I
+don't believe it! What I do believe is that you are an
+impostor and have come here to stir up trouble among my
+people, who are already becoming difficult to manage.
+You two girls may even be spies of the vile Flatheads,
+for all I know, and may be trying to trick me. But
+understand this," she added, proudly rising from her
+jeweled throne to confront them, "I have magic powers
+greater than any fairy possesses, and greater than any
+Flathead possesses. I am a Krumbic Witch -- the only
+Krumbic Witch in the world -- and I fear the magic of
+no other creature that exists! You say you rule
+thousands. I rule one hundred and one Skeezers. But
+every one of them trembles at my word. Now that Ozma of
+Oz and Princess Dorothy are here, I shall rule one
+hundred and three subjects, for you also shall bow
+before my power. More than that, in ruling you I also
+rule the thousands you say you rule."
+
+Dorothy was very indignant at this speech.
+
+"I've got a pink kitten that sometimes talks like
+that," she said, "but after I give her a good whipping
+she doesn't think she's so high and mighty after all.
+If you only knew who Ozma is you'd be scared to death
+to talk to her like that!"
+
+Queen Coo-ee-oh gave the girl a supercilious look.
+Then she turned again to Ozma.
+
+"I happen to know," said she, "that the Flatheads
+intend to attack us tomorrow, but we are ready for
+them. Until the battle is over, I shall keep you two
+strangers prisoners on my island, from which there is
+no chance for you to escape."
+
+She turned and looked around the band of courtiers
+who stood silently around her throne.
+
+"Lady Aurex," she continued, singling out one of the
+young women, "take these children to your house and
+care for them, giving them food and lodging. You may
+allow them to wander anywhere under the Great Dome, for
+they are harmless. After I have attended to the
+Flatheads I will consider what next to do with these
+foolish girls."
+
+She resumed her seat and the Lady Aurex bowed low and
+said in a humble manner:
+
+"I obey your Majesty's commands." Then to Ozma and
+Dorothy she added, "Follow me," and turned to leave the
+throne room.
+
+Dorothy looked to see what Ozma would do. To her
+surprise and a little to her disappointment Ozma turned
+and followed Lady Aurex. So Dorothy trailed after them,
+but not without giving a parting, haughty look toward
+Queen Coo-ee-oh, who had her face turned the other way
+and did not see the disapproving look
+
+
+
+
+Chapter Nine
+
+Lady Aurex
+
+
+
+Lady Aurex led Ozma and Dorothy along a street to a
+pretty marble house near to one edge of the great glass
+dome that covered the village. She did not speak to the
+girls until she had ushered them into a pleasant room,
+comfortably furnished, nor did any of the solemn people
+they met on the street venture to speak.
+
+When they were seated Lady Aurex asked if they were
+hungry, and finding they were summoned a maid and
+ordered food to be brought.
+
+This Lady Aurex looked to be about twenty years old,
+although in the Land of Oz where people have never
+changed in appearance since the fairies made it a
+fairyland -- where no one grows old or dies -- it is
+always difficult to say how many years anyone has
+lived. She had a pleasant, attractive face, even though
+it was solemn and sad as the faces of all Skeezers
+seemed to be, and her costume was rich and elaborate,
+as became a lady in waiting upon the Queen.
+
+Ozma had observed Lady Aurex closely and now asked
+her in a gentle tone:
+
+"Do you, also, believe me to be an impostor?"
+
+"I dare not say," replied Lady Aurex in a low tone.
+
+"Why are you afraid to speak freely?" inquired Ozma.
+
+"The Queen punishes us if we make remarks that she
+does not like."
+
+"Are we not alone then, in this house?"
+
+"The Queen can hear everything that is spoken on this
+island -- even the slightest whisper," declared Lady
+Aurex. "She is a wonderful witch, as she has told you,
+and it is folly to criticise her or disobey her
+commands."
+
+Ozma looked into her eyes and saw that she would like
+to say more if she dared. So she drew from her bosom
+her silver wand, and having muttered a magic phrase in
+a strange tongue, she left the room and walked slowly
+around the outside of the house, making a complete
+circle and waving her wand in mystic curves as she
+walked. Lady Aurex watched her curiously and, when Ozma
+had again entered the room and seated herself, she
+asked:
+
+"What have you done?"
+
+"I've enchanted this house in such a manner that
+Queen Coo-ee-oh, with all her witchcraft, cannot hear
+one word we speak within the magic circle I have made,"
+replied Ozma. "We may now speak freely and as loudly as
+we wish, without fear of the Queen's anger."
+
+Lady Aurex brightened at this.
+
+"Can I trust you?" she asked.
+
+"Ev'rybody trusts Ozma," exclaimed Dorothy. "She is
+true and honest, and your wicked Queen will be sorry
+she insulted the powerful Ruler of all the Land of Oz."
+
+"The Queen does not know me yet," said Ozma, "but I
+want you to know me, Lady Aurex, and I want you to tell
+me why you, and all the Skeezers, are unhappy. Do not
+fear Coo-ee-oh's anger, for she cannot hear a word we
+say, I assure you."
+
+Lady Aurex was thoughtful a moment; then she said: "I
+shall trust you, Princess Ozma, for I believe you are
+what you say you are -- our supreme Ruler. If you knew
+the dreadful punishments our Queen inflicts upon us,
+you would not wonder we are so unhappy. The Skeezers
+are not bad people; they do not care to quarrel and
+fight, even with their enemies the Flatheads; but they
+are so cowed and fearful of Coo-ee-oh that they obey
+her slightest word, rather than suffer her anger."
+
+"Hasn't she any heart, then?" asked Dorothy.
+
+"She never displays mercy. She loves no one but
+herself," asserted Lady Aurex, but she trembled as she
+said it, as if afraid even yet of her terrible Queen.
+
+"That's pretty bad," said Dorothy, shaking her head
+gravely. "I see you've a lot to do here, Ozma, in this
+forsaken corner of the Land of Oz. First place, you've
+got to take the magic away from Queen Coo-ee-oh, and
+from that awful Su-dic, too. My idea is that neither of
+them is fit to rule anybody, 'cause they're cruel and
+hateful. So you'll have to give the Skeezers and
+Flatheads new rulers and teach all their people that
+they're part of the Land of Oz and must obey, above
+all, the lawful Ruler, Ozma of Oz. Then, when you've
+done that, we can go back home again."
+
+Ozma smiled at her little friend's earnest counsel,
+but Lady Aurex said in an anxious tone:
+
+"I am surprised that you suggest these reforms while
+you are yet prisoners on this island and in Coo-ee-oh's
+power. That these things should be done, there is no
+doubt, but just now a dreadful war is likely to break
+out, and frightful things may happen to us all.  Our
+Queen has such conceit that she thinks she can overcome
+the Su-dic and his people, but it is said Su-dic's
+magic is very powerful, although not as great as that
+possessed by his wife Rora, before Coo-ee-oh
+transformed her into a Golden Pig."
+
+"I don't blame her very much for doing that,"
+remarked Dorothy, "for the Flatheads were wicked to try
+to catch your beautiful fish and the Witch Rora wanted
+to poison all the fishes in the lake."
+
+"Do you know the reason?" asked the Lady Aurex.
+
+"I don't s'pose there was any reason, 'cept just
+wickedness," replied Dorothy.
+
+"Tell us the reason," said Ozma earnestly.
+
+"Well, your Majesty, once -- a long time ago -- the
+Flatheads and the Skeezers were friendly. They visited
+our island and we visited their mountain, and
+everything was pleasant between the two peoples. At
+that time the Flatheads were ruled by three Adepts in
+Sorcery, beautiful girls who were not Flatheads, but
+had wandered to the Flat Mountain and made their home
+there. These three Adepts used their magic only for
+good, and the mountain people gladly made them their
+rulers. They taught the Flatheads how to use their
+canned brains and how to work metals into clothing that
+would never wear out, and many other things that added
+to their happiness and content.
+
+"Coo-ee-oh was our Queen then, as now, but she knew
+no magic and so had nothing to be proud of. But the
+three Adepts were very kind to Coo-ee-oh. They built
+for us this wonderful dome of glass and our houses of
+marble and taught us to make beautiful clothing and
+many other things. Coo-ee-oh pretended to be very
+grateful for these favors, but it seems that all the
+time she was jealous of the three Adepts and secretly
+tried to discover their arts of magic. In this she was
+more clever than anyone suspected. She invited the
+three Adepts to a banquet one day, and while they were
+feasting Coo-ee-oh stole their charms and magical
+instruments and transformed them into three fishes -- a
+gold fish, a silver fish and a bronze fish. While the
+poor fishes were gasping and flopping helplessly on the
+floor of the banquet room one of them said
+reproachfully: 'You will be punished for this, Coo-ee-
+oh, for if one of us dies or is destroyed, you will
+become shrivelled and helpless, and all your stolen
+magic will depart from you.' Frightened by this threat,
+Coo-ee-oh at once caught up the three fish and ran with
+them to the shore of the lake, where she cast them into
+the water. This revived the three Adepts and they swam
+away and disappeared.
+
+"I, myself, witnessed this shocking scene," continued
+Lady Aurex, "and so did many other Skeezers. The news
+was carried to the Flatheads, who then turned from
+friends to enemies. The Su-dic and his wife Rora were
+the only ones on the mountain who were glad the three
+Adepts had been lost to them, and they at once became
+Rulers of the Flatheads and stole their canned brains
+from others to make themselves the more powerful. Some
+of the Adepts' magic tools had been left on the
+mountain, and these Rora seized and by the use of them
+she became a witch.
+
+"The result of Coo-ee-oh's treachery was to make both
+the Skeezers and the Flatheads miserable instead of
+happy. Not only were the Su-dic and his wife cruel to
+their people, but our Queen at once became proud and
+arrogant and treated us very unkindly. All the Skeezers
+knew she had stolen her magic powers and so she hated
+us and made us humble ourselves before her and obey her
+slightest word. If we disobeyed, or did not please her,
+or if we talked about her when we were in our own homes
+she would have us dragged to the whipping post in her
+palace and lashed with knotted cords. That is why we
+fear her so greatly."
+
+This story filled Ozma's heart with sorrow and
+Dorothy's heart with indignation.
+
+"I now understand," said Ozma, "why the fishes in the
+lake have brought about war between the Skeezers and
+the Flatheads."
+
+"Yes," Lady Aurex answered, "now that you know the
+story it is easy to understand. The Su-dic and his wife
+came to our lake hoping to catch the silver fish, or
+gold fish, or bronze fish -- any one of them would do -
+- and by destroying it deprive Coo-ee-oh of her magic.
+Then they could easily conquer her. Also they had
+another reason for wanting to catch the fish -- they
+feared that in some way the three Adepts might regain
+their proper forms and then they would be sure to
+return to the mountain and punish Rora and the Su-dic.
+That was why Rora finally tried to poison all the
+fishes in the lake, at the time Coo-ee-oh transformed
+her into a Golden Pig. Of course this attempt to
+destroy the fishes frightened the Queen, for her safety
+lies in keeping the three fishes alive."
+
+"I s'pose Coo-ee-oh will fight the Flatheads with all
+her might," observed Dorothy.
+
+"And with all her magic," added Ozma, thoughtfully.
+
+"I do not see how the Flatheads can get to this
+island to hurt us," said Lady Aurex.
+
+"They have bows and arrows, and I guess they mean to
+shoot the arrows at your big dome, and break all the
+glass in it," suggested Dorothy.
+
+But Lady Aurex shook her head with a smile.
+
+"They cannot do that," she replied.
+
+"Why not?"
+
+"I dare not tell you why, but if the Flatheads come
+to-morrow morning you will yourselves see the reason."
+
+"I do not think they will attempt to harm the
+island," Ozma declared. "I believe they will first
+attempt to destroy the fishes, by poison or some other
+means. If they succeed in that, the conquest of the
+island will not be difficult."
+
+"They have no boats," said Lady Aurex, "and Coo-ee-
+oh, who has long expected this war, has been preparing
+for it in many astonishing ways. I almost wish the
+Flatheads would conquer us, for then we would be free
+from our dreadful Queen; but I do not wish to see the
+three transformed fishes destroyed, for in them lies
+our only hope of future happiness."
+
+"Ozma will take care of you, whatever happens,"
+Dorothy assured her. But the Lady Aurex, not knowing
+the extent of Ozma's power -- which was, in fact, not
+so great as Dorothy imagined -- could not take much
+comfort in this promise.
+
+It was evident there would be exciting times on the
+morrow, if the Flatheads really attacked the Skeezers
+of the Magic Isle.
+
+
+
+
+Chapter Ten
+
+Under Water
+
+
+
+When night fell all the interior of the Great Dome,
+streets and houses, became lighted with brilliant
+incandescent lamps, which rendered it bright as day.
+Dorothy thought the island must look beautiful by night
+from the outer shore of the lake. There was revelry and
+feasting in the Queen's palace, and the music of the
+royal band could be plainly heard in Lady Aurex's
+house, where Ozma and Dorothy remained with their
+hostess and keeper. They were prisoners, but treated
+with much consideration.
+
+Lady Aurex gave them a nice supper and when they
+wished to retire showed them to a pretty room with
+comfortable beds and wished them a good night and
+pleasant dreams.
+
+"What do you think of all this, Ozma?" Dorothy
+anxiously inquired when they were alone.
+
+"I am glad we came," was the reply, "for although
+there may be mischief done to-morrow, it was necessary
+I should know about these people, whose leaders are
+wild and lawless and oppress their subjects with
+injustice and cruelties. My task, therefore, is to
+liberate the Skeezers and the Flatheads and secure for
+them freedom and happiness. I have no doubt I can
+accomplish this in time."
+
+"Just now, though, we're in a bad fix," asserted
+Dorothy. "If Queen Coo-ee-oh conquers to-morrow, she
+won't be nice to us, and if the Su-dic conquers, he'll
+be worse."
+
+"Do not worry, dear," said Ozma, "I do not think we
+are in danger, whatever happens, and the result of our
+adventure is sure to be good."
+
+Dorothy was not worrying, especially. She had
+confidence in her friend, the fairy Princess of Oz, and
+she enjoyed the excitement of the events in which she
+was taking part. So she crept into bed and fell asleep
+as easily as if she had been in her own cosy room in
+Ozma's palace.
+
+A sort of grating, grinding sound awakened her. The
+whole island seemed to tremble and sway, as it might do
+in an earthquake. Dorothy sat up in bed, rubbing her
+eyes to get the sleep out of them, and then found it
+was daybreak.
+
+Ozma was hurriedly dressing herself.
+
+"What is it?" asked Dorothy, jumping out of bed.
+
+"I'm not sure," answered Ozma "but it feels as if the
+island is sinking."
+
+As soon as possible they finished dressing, while the
+creaking and swaying continued. Then they rushed into
+the living room of the house and found Lady Aurex,
+fully dressed, awaiting them.
+
+"Do not be alarmed," said their hostess. "Coo-ee-oh
+has decided to submerge the island, that is all. But it
+proves the Flatheads are coming to attack us."
+
+"What do you mean by sub-sub-merging the island?"
+asked Dorothy.
+
+"Come here and see," was the reply.
+
+Lady Aurex led them to a window which faced the side
+of the great dome which covered all the village, and
+they could see that the island was indeed sinking, for
+the water of the lake was already half way up the side
+of the dome. Through the glass could be seen swimming
+fishes, and tall stalks of swaying seaweeds, for the
+water was clear as crystal and through it they could
+distinguish even the farther shore of the lake.
+
+"The Flatheads are not here yet," said Lady Aurex.
+"They will come soon, but not until all of this dome is
+under the surface of the water."
+
+"Won't the dome leak?" Dorothy inquired anxiously.
+
+"No, indeed."
+
+"Was the island ever sub-sub-sunk before?"
+
+"Oh, yes; on several occasions. But Coo-ee-oh doesn't
+care to do that often, for it requires a lot of hard
+work to operate the machinery. The dome was built so
+that the island could disappear. I think," she
+continued, "that our Queen fears the Flatheads will
+attack the island and try to break the glass of the
+dome."
+
+"Well, if we're under water, they can't fight us, and
+we can't fight them," asserted Dorothy.
+
+"They could kill the fishes, however," said Ozma
+gravely
+
+"We have ways to fight, also, even though our island
+is under water," claimed Lady Aurex. "I cannot tell you
+all our secrets, but this island is full of surprises.
+Also our Queen's magic is astonishing."
+
+"Did she steal it all from the three Adepts in
+Sorcery that are now fishes?"
+
+"She stole the knowledge and the magic tools, but she
+has used them as the three Adepts never would have
+done."
+
+By this time the top of the dome was quite under
+water and suddenly the island stopped sinking and
+became stationary.
+
+"See!" cried Lady Aurex, pointing to the shore. "The
+Flatheads have come."
+
+On the bank, which was now far above their heads, a
+crowd of dark figures could be seen.
+
+"Now let us see what Coo-ee-oh will do to oppose
+them," continued Lady Aurex, in a voice that betrayed
+her excitement.
+
+   *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *
+
+The Flatheads, pushing their way through the line of
+palm trees, had reached the shore of the lake just as
+the top of the island's dome disappeared beneath the
+surface. The water now flowed from shore to shore, but
+through the clear water the dome was still visible and
+the houses of the Skeezers could be dimly seen through
+the panes of glass.
+
+"Good!" exclaimed the Su-dic, who had armed all his
+followers and had brought with him two copper vessels,
+which he carefully set down upon the ground beside him.
+"If Coo-ee-oh wants to hide instead of fighting our job
+will be easy, for in one of these copper vessels I have
+enough poison to kill every fish in the lake."
+
+"Kill them, then, while we have time, and then we can
+go home again," advised one of the chief officers.
+
+"Not yet," objected the Su-dic. "The Queen of the
+Skeezers has defied me, and I want to get her into my
+power, as well as to destroy her magic. She transformed
+my poor wife into a Golden Pig, and I must have revenge
+for that, whatever else we do."
+
+"Look out!" suddenly exclaimed the officers, pointing
+into the lake; "something's going to happen."
+
+From the submerged dome a door opened and something
+black shot swiftly out into the water. The door
+instantly closed behind it and the dark object cleaved
+its way through the water, without rising to the
+surface, directly toward the place where the Flatheads
+were standing.
+
+"What is that?" Dorothy asked the Lady Aurex.
+
+"That is one of the Queen's submarines," was the
+reply. "It is all enclosed, and can move under water.
+Coo-ee-oh has several of these boats which are kept in
+little rooms in the basement under our village. When
+the island is submerged, the Queen uses these boats to
+reach the shore, and I believe she now intends to fight
+the Flatheads with them."
+
+The Su-dic and his people knew nothing of Coo-ee-oh's
+submarines, so they watched with surprise as the under-
+water boat approached them. When it was quite near the
+shore it rose to the surface and the top parted and
+fell back, disclosing a boat full of armed Skeezers. At
+the head was the Queen, standing up in the bow and
+holding in one hand a coil of magic rope that gleamed
+like silver.
+
+The boat halted and Coo-ee-oh drew back her arm to
+throw the silver rope toward the Su-dic, who was now
+but a few feet from her. But the wily Flathead leader
+quickly realized his danger and before the Queen could
+throw the rope he caught up one of the copper vessels
+and dashed its contents full in her face!
+
+
+
+
+Chapter Eleven
+
+The Conquest of the Skeezers
+
+
+
+Queen Coo-ee-oh dropped the rope, tottered and fell
+headlong into the water, sinking beneath the surface,
+while the Skeezers in the submarine assist her and only
+stared at the ripples in the water where she had
+disappeared. A moment later there arose to the surface
+a beautiful White Swan. This Swan was of large size,
+very gracefully formed, and scattered all over its
+white feathers were tiny diamonds, so thickly placed
+that as the rays of the morning sun fell upon them the
+entire body of the Swan glistened like one brilliant
+diamond. The head of the Diamond Swan had a bill of
+polished gold and its eyes were two sparkling
+amethysts.
+
+"Hooray!" cried the Su-dic, dancing up and down with
+wicked glee. "My poor wife, Rora, is avenged at last.
+You made her a Golden Pig, Coo-ee-oh, and now I have
+made you a Diamond Swan. Float on your lake forever, if
+you like, for your web feet can do no more magic and
+you are as powerless as the Pig you made of my wife!
+
+"Villain! Scoundrel!" croaked the Diamond Swan. "You
+will be punished for this. Oh, what a fool I was to let
+you enchant me!
+
+"A fool you were, and a fool you are!" laughed the
+Su-dic, dancing madly in his delight. And then he
+carelessly tipped over the other copper vessel with his
+heel and its contents spilled on the sands and were
+lost to the last drop.
+
+The Su-dic stopped short and looked at the overturned
+vessel with a rueful countenance.
+
+"That's too bad -- too bad!" he exclaimed
+sorrowfully. "I've lost all the poison I had to kill
+the fishes with, and I can't make any more because only
+my wife knew the secret of it, and she is now a foolish
+Pig and has forgotten all her magic."
+
+"Very well," said the Diamond Swan scornfully, as she
+floated upon the water and swam gracefully here and
+there. I'm glad to see you are foiled. Your punishment
+is just beginning, for although you have enchanted me
+and taken away my powers of sorcery you have still the
+three magic fishes to deal with, and they'll destroy
+you in time, mark my words."
+
+The Su-dic stared at the Swan a moment. Then he
+yelled to his men:
+
+"Shoot her! Shoot the saucy bird!"
+
+They let fly some arrows at the Diamond Swan, but she
+dove under the water and the missiles fell harmless.
+When Coo-ce-oh rose to the surface she was far from the
+shore and she swiftly swam across the lake to where no
+arrows or spears could reach her.
+
+The Su-dic rubbed his chin and thought what to do
+next. Near by floated the submarine in which the Queen
+had come, but the Skeezers who were in it were puzzled
+what to do with themselves. Perhaps they were not sorry
+their cruel mistress had been transformed into a
+Diamond Swan, but the transformation had left them
+quite helpless. The under-water boat was not operated
+by machinery, but by certain mystic words uttered by
+Coo-ee-oh. They didn't know how to submerge it, or how
+to make the water-tight shield cover them again, or how
+to make the boat go back to the castle, or make it
+enter the little basement room where it was usually
+kept. As a matter of fact, they were now shut out of
+their village under the Great Dome and could not get
+back again. So one of the men called to the Supreme
+Dictator of the Flatheads, saying:
+
+"Please make us prisoners and take us to your
+mountain, and feed and keep us, for we have nowhere to
+go."
+
+Then the Su-dic laughed and answered:
+
+"Not so. I can't be bothered by caring for a lot of
+stupid Skeezers. Stay where you are, or go wherever you
+please, so long as you keep away from our mountain." He
+turned to his men and added: "We have conquered Queen
+Coo-ee-oh and made her a helpless swan. The Skeezers
+are under water and may stay there. So, having won the
+war, let us go home again and make merry and feast,
+having after many years proved the Flatheads to be
+greater and more powerful than the Skeezers."
+
+So the Flatheads marched away and passed through the
+row of palms and went back to their mountain, where the
+Su-dic and a few of his officers feasted and all the
+others were forced to wait on them.
+
+"I'm sorry we couldn't have roast pig," said the Su-
+dic, "but as the only pig we have is made of gold, we
+can't eat her. Also the Golden Pig happens to be my
+wife, and even were she not gold I am sure she would be
+too tough to eat."
+
+
+
+
+Chapter Twelve
+
+The Diamond Swan
+
+
+
+When the Flatheads had gone away the Diamond Swan
+swam back to the boat and one of the young Skeezers
+named Ervic said to her eagerly:
+
+"How can we get back to the island, your Majesty?"
+
+"Am I not beautiful?" asked Coo-ee-oh, arching her
+neck gracefully and spreading her diamond-sprinkled
+wings. "I can see my reflection in the water, and I'm
+sure there is no bird nor beast, nor human as
+magnificent as I am!"
+
+"How shall we get back to the island, your Majesty?"
+pleaded Ervic.
+
+"When my fame spreads throughout the land, people
+will travel from all parts of this lake to look upon my
+loveliness," said Coo-ee-oh, shaking her feathers to
+make the diamonds glitter more brilliantly.
+
+"But, your Majesty, we must go home and we do not
+know how to get there," Ervic persisted.
+
+"My eyes," remarked the Diamond Swan, "are
+wonderfully blue and bright and will charm all
+beholders."
+
+"Tell us how to make the boat go -- how to get back
+into the island," begged Ervic and the others cried
+just as earnestly: "Tell us, Coo-ee-oh; tell us!"
+
+"I don't know," replied the Queen in a careless tone.
+
+"You are a magic-worker, a sorceress, a witch!"
+
+"I was, of course, when I was a girl," she said,
+bending her head over the clear water to catch her
+reflection in it; "but now I've forgotten all such
+foolish things as magic. Swans are lovelier than girls,
+especially when they're sprinkled with diamonds. Don't
+you think so?" And she gracefully swam away, without
+seeming to care whether they answered or not.
+
+Ervic and his companions were in despair. They saw
+plainly that Coo-ee-oh could not or would not help
+them. The former Queen had no further thought for her
+island, her people, or her wonderful magic; she was
+only intent on admiring her own beauty.
+
+"Truly," said Ervic, in a gloomy voice, "the
+Flatheads have conquered us!"
+
+   *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *
+
+Some of these events had been witnessed by Ozma
+and Dorothy and Lady Aurex, who had left the house
+and gone close to the glass of the dome, in order to see
+what was going on. Many of the Skeezers had also
+crowded against the dome, wondering what would
+happen next. Although their vision was to an extent
+blurred by the water and the necessity of looking
+upward at an angle, they had observed the main points
+of the drama enacted above. They saw Queen Coo-
+ee-oh's submarine come to the surface and open; they
+saw the Queen standing erect to throw her magic rope;
+they saw her sudden transformation into a Diamond
+Swan, and a cry of amazement went up from the
+Skeezers inside the dome.
+
+"Good!" exclaimed Dorothy. "I hate that old Su-dic,
+but I'm glad Coo-ee-oh is punished."
+
+"This is a dreadful misfortune!" cried Lady Aurex,
+pressing her hands upon her heart.
+
+"Yes," agreed Ozma, nodding her head thoughtfully;
+"Coo-ee-oh's misfortune will prove a terrible blow to
+her people."
+
+"What do you mean by that?" asked Dorothy in
+surprise. "Seems to me the Skeezers are in luck to lose
+their cruel Queen."
+
+"If that were all you would be right," responded Lady
+Aurex; "and if the island were above water it would not
+be so serious. But here we all are, at the bottom of
+the lake, and fast prisoners in this dome."
+
+"Can't you raise the island?" inquired Dorothy.
+
+"No. Only Coo-ee-oh knew how to do that," was the
+answer.
+
+"We can try," insisted Dorothy. "If it can be made to
+go down, it can be made to come up. The machinery is
+still here, I suppose.
+
+"Yes; but the machinery works by magic, and Coo-ee-oh
+would never share her secret power with any one of us."
+
+Dorothy's face grew grave; but she was thinking.
+
+"Ozma knows a lot of magic," she said.
+
+"But not that kind of magic," Ozma replied.
+
+"Can't you learn how, by looking at the machinery?"
+
+"I'm afraid not, my dear. It isn't fairy magic at
+all; it is witchcraft."
+
+"Well," said Dorothy, turning to Lady Aurex, "you say
+there are other sub-sub-sinking boats. We can get in
+one of those, and shoot out to the top of the water,
+like Coo-ee-oh did, and so escape. And then we can help
+to rescue all the Skeezers down here."
+
+"No one knows how to work the under-water boats but
+the Queen," declared Lady Aurex.
+
+"Isn't there any door or window in this dome that we
+could open?"
+
+"No; and, if there were, the water would rush in
+to flood the dome, and we could not get out."
+
+"The Skeezers," said Ozma, "could not drown; they
+only get wet and soggy and in that condition they would
+be very uncomfortable and unhappy. But you are a mortal
+girl, Dorothy, and if your Magic Belt protected you
+from death you would have to lie forever at the bottom
+of the lake."
+
+"No, I'd rather die quickly," asserted the little
+girl. "But there are doors in the basement that open --
+to let out the bridges and the boats -- and that would
+not flood the dome, you know."
+
+"Those doors open by a magic word, and only Coo-ee-oh
+knows the word that must be uttered," said Lady Aurex.
+
+"Dear me!" exclaimed Dorothy, "that dreadful Queen's
+witchcraft upsets all my plans to escape. I guess I'll
+give it up, Ozma, and let you save us."
+
+Ozma smiled, but her smile was not so cheerful as
+usual. The Princess of Oz found herself confronted with
+a serious problem, and although she had no thought of
+despairing she realized that the Skeezers and their
+island, as well as Dorothy and herself, were in grave
+trouble and that unless she could find a means to save
+them they would be lost to the Land of Oz for all
+future time.
+
+"In such a dilemma," said she, musingly, "nothing is
+gained by haste. Careful thought may aid us, and so may
+the course of events. The unexpected is always likely
+to happen, and cheerful patience is better than
+reckless action."
+
+"All right," returned Dorothy; "take your time, Ozma;
+there's no hurry. How about some breakfast, Lady
+Aurex?"
+
+Their hostess led them back to the house, where she
+ordered her trembling servants to prepare and serve
+breakfast. All the Skeezers were frightened and anxious
+over the transformation of their Queen into a swan.
+Coo-ee-oh was feared and hated, but they had depended
+on her magic to conquer the Flatheads and she was the
+only one who could raise their island to the surface of
+the lake again.
+
+Before breakfast was over several of the leading
+Skeezers came to Aurex to ask her advice and to
+question Princess Ozma, of whom they knew nothing
+except that she claimed to be a fairy and the Ruler of
+all the land, including the Lake of the Skeezers.
+
+"If what you told Queen Coo-ee-oh was the truth,"
+they said to her, "you are our lawful mistress, and we
+may depend on you to get us out of our difficulties."
+
+"I will try to do that" Ozma graciously assured them,
+"but you must remember that the powers of fairies are
+granted them to bring comfort and happiness to all who
+appeal to them. On the contrary, such magic as Coo-ee-
+oh knew and practiced is unlawful witchcraft and her
+arts are such as no fairy would condescend to use.
+However, it is sometimes necessary to consider evil in
+order to accomplish good, and perhaps by studying Coo-
+ee-oh's tools and charms of witchcraft I may be able to
+save us. Do you promise to accept me as your Ruler and
+to obey my commands?"
+
+They promised willingly.
+
+"Then," continued Ozma, "I will go to Coo-ee-oh's
+palace and take possession of it. Perhaps what I find
+there will be of use to me. In the meantime tell all
+the Skeezers to fear nothing, but have patience. Let
+them return to their homes and perform their daily
+tasks as usual. Coo-ee-oh's loss may not prove a
+misfortune, but rather a blessing."
+
+This speech cheered the Skeezers amazingly. Really,
+they had no one now to depend upon but Ozma, and in
+spite of their dangerous position their hearts were
+lightened by the transformation and absence of their
+cruel Queen.
+
+They got out their brass band and a grand procession
+escorted Ozma and Dorothy to the palace, where all of
+Coo-ee-oh's former servants were eager to wait upon
+them. Ozma invited Lady Aurex to stay at the palace
+also, for she knew all about the Skeezers and their
+island and had also been a favorite of the former
+Queen, so her advice and information were sure to prove
+valuable.
+
+Ozma was somewhat disappointed in what she found in
+the palace. One room of Coo-ee-oh's private suite was
+entirely devoted to the practice of witchcraft, and
+here were countless queer instruments and jars of
+ointments and bottles of potions labeled with queer
+names, and strange machines that Ozma could not guess
+the use of, and pickled toads and snails and lizards,
+and a shelf of books that were written in blood, but in
+a language which the Ruler of Oz did not know.
+
+"I do not see," said Ozma to Dorothy, who accompanied
+her in her search, "how Coo-ee-oh knew the use of the
+magic tools she stole from the three Adept Witches.
+Moreover, from all reports these Adepts practiced only
+good witchcraft, such as would be helpful to their
+people, while Coo-ee-oh performed only evil."
+
+"Perhaps she turned the good things to evil uses?"
+suggested Dorothy.
+
+"Yes, and with the knowledge she gained Coo-ee-oh
+doubtless invented many evil things quite unknown to
+the good Adepts, who are now fishes," added Ozma. "It
+is unfortunate for us that the Queen kept her secrets
+so closely guarded, for no one but herself could use
+any of these strange things gathered in this room."
+
+"Couldn't we capture the Diamond Swan and make her
+tell the secrets?" asked Dorothy.
+
+"No; even were we able to capture her, Coo-ee-oh now
+has forgotten all the magic she ever knew. But until we
+ourselves escape from this dome we could not capture
+the Swan, and were we to escape we would have no use for
+Coo-ee-oh's magic."
+
+"That's a fact," admitted Dorothy. "But -- say, Ozma,
+here's a good idea!  Couldn't we capture the three
+fishes -- the gold and silver and bronze ones, and
+couldn't you transform 'em back to their own shapes,
+and then couldn't the three Adepts get us out of here?"
+
+"You are not very practical, Dorothy dear. It would
+be as hard for us to capture the three fishes, from
+among all the other fishes in the lake, as to capture
+the Swan."
+
+"But if we could, it would be more help to us,"
+persisted the little girl.
+
+"That is true," answered Ozma, smiling at her
+friend's eagerness. "You find a way to catch the fish,
+and I'll promise when they are caught to restore them
+to their proper forms."
+
+"I know you think I can't do it," replied Dorothy,
+"but I'm going to try."
+
+She left the palace and went to a place where she
+could look through a clear pane of the glass dome into
+the surrounding water. Immediately she became
+interested in the queer sights that met her view.
+
+The Lake of the Skeezers was inhabited by fishes of
+many kinds and many sizes. The water was so transparent
+that the girl could see for a long distance and the
+fishes came so close to the glass of the dome that
+sometimes they actually touched it. On the white sands
+at the bottom of the lake were star-fish, lobsters,
+crabs and many shell fish of strange shapes and with
+shells of gorgeous hues. The water foliage was of
+brilliant colors and to Dorothy it resembled a splendid
+garden.
+
+But the fishes were the most interesting of all. Some
+were big and lazy, floating slowly along or lying at
+rest with just their fins waving. Many with big round
+eyes looked full at the girl as she watched them and
+Dorothy wondered if they could hear her through the
+glass if she spoke to them. In Oz, where all the
+animals and birds can talk, many fishes are able to
+talk also, but usually they are more stupid than birds
+and animals because they think slowly and haven't much
+to talk about.
+
+In the Lake of the Skeezers the fish of smaller size
+were more active than the big ones and darted quickly
+in and out among the swaying weeds, as if they had
+important business and were in a hurry. It was among
+the smaller varieties that Dorothy hoped to spy the
+gold and silver and bronze fishes. She had an idea the
+three would keep together, being companions now as they
+were in their natural forms, but such a multitude of
+fishes constantly passed, the scene shifting every
+moment, that she was not sure she would notice them
+even if they appeared in view. Her eyes couldn't look
+in all directions and the fishes she sought might be on
+the other side of the dome, or far away in the lake.
+
+"P'raps, because they were afraid of Coo-ee-oh,
+they've hid themselves somewhere, and don't know their
+enemy has been transformed," she reflected.
+
+She watched the fishes for a long time, until she
+became hungry and went back to the palace for lunch.
+But she was not discouraged.
+
+"Anything new, Ozma?" she asked.
+
+"No, dear. Did you discover the three fishes?"
+
+"Not yet. But there isn't anything better for me to
+do, Ozma, so I guess I'll go back and watch again."
+
+
+
+
+Chapter Thirteen
+
+The Alarm Bell
+
+
+
+Glinda, the Good, in her palace in the Quadling
+Country, had many things to occupy her mind, for not
+only did she look after the weaving and embroidery of
+her bevy of maids, and assist all those who came to her
+to implore her help -- beasts and birds as well as
+people -- but she was a close student of the arts of
+sorcery and spent much time in her Magical Laboratory,
+where she strove to find a remedy for every evil and to
+perfect her skill in magic.
+
+Nevertheless, she did not forget to look in the Great
+Book of Records each day to see if any mention was made
+of the visit of Ozma and Dorothy to the Enchanted
+Mountain of the Flatheads and the Magic Isle of the
+Skeezers. The Records told her that Ozma had arrived at
+the mountain, that she had escaped, with her companion,
+and gone to the island of the Skeezers, and that Queen
+Coo-ee-oh had submerged the island so that it was
+entirely under water. Then came the statement that the
+Flatheads had come to the lake to poison the fishes and
+that their Supreme Dictator had transformed Queen Coo-
+ee-oh into a swan.
+
+No other details were given in the Great Book and so
+Glinda did not know that since Coo-ee-oh had forgotten
+her magic none of the Skeezers knew how to raise the
+island to the surface again. So Glinda was not worried
+about Ozma and Dorothy until one morning, while she sat
+with her maids, there came a sudden clang of the
+great alarm bell. This was so unusual that every maid
+gave a start and even the Sorceress for a moment could
+not think what the alarm meant.
+
+Then she remembered the ring she had given Dorothy
+when she left the palace to start on her venture. In
+giving the ring Glinda had warned the little girl not
+to use its magic powers unless she and Ozma were in
+real danger, but then she was to turn it on her finger
+once to the right and once to the left and Glinda's
+alarm bell would ring.
+
+So the Sorceress now knew that danger threatened her
+beloved Ruler and Princess Dorothy, and she hurried to
+her magic room to seek information as to what sort of
+danger it was. The answer to her question was not very
+satisfactory, for it was only: "Ozma and Dorothy are
+prisoners in the great Dome of the Isle of the
+Skeezers, and the Dome is under the water of the lake."
+
+"Hasn't Ozma the power to raise the island to the
+surface?" inquired Glinda.
+
+"No," was the reply, and the Record refused to say
+more except that Queen Coo-ee-oh, who alone could
+command the island to rise, had been transformed by the
+Flathead Su-dic into a Diamond Swan.
+
+Then Glinda consulted the past records of the
+Skeezers in the Great Book. After diligent search she
+discovered that Coo-ee-oh was a powerful sorceress who
+had gained most of her power by treacherously
+transforming the Adepts of Magic, who were visiting
+her, into three fishes -- gold, silver and bronze --
+after which she had them cast into the lake.
+
+Glinda reflected earnestly on this information and
+decided that someone must go to Ozma's assistance.
+While there was no great need of haste, because Ozma
+and Dorothy could live in a submerged dome a long time,
+it was evident they could not get out until someone was
+able to raise the island.
+
+The Sorceress looked through all her recipes and
+books of sorcery, but could find no magic that would
+raise a sunken island. Such a thing had never before
+been required in sorcery. Then Glinda made a little
+island, covered by a glass dome, and sunk it in a pond
+near her castle, and experimented in magical ways to
+bring it to the surface. She made several such
+experiments, but all were failures. It seemed a simple
+thing to do, yet she could not do it.
+
+Nevertheless, the wise Sorceress did not despair of
+finding a way to liberate her friends. Finally she
+concluded that the best thing to do was to go to the
+Skeezer country and examine the lake. While there she
+was more likely to discover a solution to the problem
+that bothered her, and to work out a plan for the
+rescue of Ozma and Dorothy.
+
+So Glinda summoned her storks and her aerial chariot,
+and telling her maids she was going on a journey and
+might not soon return, she entered the chariot and was
+carried swiftly to the Emerald City.
+
+In Princess Ozma's palace the Scarecrow was now
+acting as Ruler of the Land of Oz. There wasn't much
+for him to do, because all the affairs of state moved
+so smoothly, but he was there in case anything
+unforeseen should happen.
+
+Glinda found the Scarecrow playing croquet with Trot
+and Betsy Bobbin, two little girls who lived at the
+palace under Ozma's protection and were great friends
+of Dorothy and much loved by all the Oz people.
+
+"Something's happened!" cried Trot, as the chariot of
+the Sorceress descended near them. "Glinda never comes
+here 'cept something's gone wrong."
+
+"I hope no harm has come to Ozma, or Dorothy," said
+Betsy anxiously, as the lovely Sorceress stepped down
+from her chariot.
+
+Glinda approached the Scarecrow and told him of the
+dilemma of Ozma and Dorothy and she added: "We must
+save them, somehow, Scarecrow."
+
+"Of course," replied the Scarecrow, stumbling over a
+wicket and falling flat on his painted face.
+
+The girls picked him up and patted his straw stuffing
+into shape, and he continued, as if nothing had
+occurred: "But you'll have to tell me what to do, for I
+never have raised a sunken island in all my life."
+
+"We must have a Council of State as soon as
+possible," proposed the Sorceress. "Please send
+messengers to summon all of Ozma's counsellors to this
+palace. Then we can decide what is best to be done."
+
+The Scarecrow lost no time in doing this. Fortunately
+most of the royal counsellors were in the Emerald City
+or near to it, so they all met in the throne room of
+the palace that same evening.
+
+
+
+
+Chapter Fourteen
+
+Ozma's Counsellors
+
+
+
+No Ruler ever had such a queer assortment of advisers
+as the Princess Ozma had gathered about her throne.
+Indeed, in no other country could such amazing people
+exist. But Ozma loved them for their peculiarities and
+could trust every one of them.
+
+First there was the Tin Woodman. Every bit of him was
+tin, brightly polished. All his joints were kept well
+oiled and moved smoothly. He carried a gleaming axe to
+prove he was a woodman, but seldom had cause to use it
+because he lived in a magnificent tin castle in the
+Winkie Country of Oz and was the Emperor of all the
+Winkies. The Tin Woodman's name was Nick Chopper. He
+had a very good mind, but his heart was not of much
+account, so he was very careful to do nothing unkind or
+to hurt anyone's feelings.
+
+Another counsellor was Scraps, the Patchwork Girl of
+Oz, who was made of a gaudy patchwork quilt, cut into
+shape and stuffed with cotton. This Patchwork Girl was
+very intelligent, but so full of fun and mad pranks
+that a lot of more stupid folks thought she must be
+crazy. Scraps was jolly under all conditions, however
+grave they might be, but her laughter and good spirits
+were of value in cheering others and in her seemingly
+careless remarks much wisdom could often be found.
+
+Then there was the Shaggy Man -- shaggy from head to
+foot, hair and whiskers, clothes and shoes -- but very
+kind and gentle and one of Ozma's most loyal
+supporters.
+
+Tik-Tok was there, a copper man with machinery inside
+him, so cleverly constructed that he moved, spoke and
+thought by three separate clock-works. Tik-Tok was very
+reliable because he always did exactly what he was
+wound up to do, but his machinery was liable to run
+down at times and then he was quite helpless until
+wound up again.
+
+A different sort of person was Jack Pumpkinhead, one
+of Ozma's oldest friends and her companion on many
+adventures. Jack's body was very crude and awkward,
+being formed of limbs of trees of different sizes,
+jointed with wooden pegs. But it was a substantial body
+and not likely to break or wear out, and when it was
+dressed the clothes covered much of its roughness. The
+head of Jack Pumpkinhead was, as you have guessed, a
+ripe pumpkin, with the eyes, nose and mouth carved upon
+one side. The pumpkin was stuck on Jack's wooden neck
+and was liable to get turned sidewise or backward and
+then he would have to straighten it with his wooden
+hands.
+
+The worst thing about this sort of a head was that it
+did not keep well and was sure to spoil sooner or
+later. So Jack's main business was to grow a field of
+fine pumpkins each year, and always before his old head
+spoiled he would select a fresh pumpkin from the field
+and carve the features on it very neatly, and have it
+ready to replace the old head whenever it became
+necessary. He didn't always carve it the same way, so
+his friends never knew exactly what sort of an
+expression they would find on his face. But there was
+no mistaking him, because he was the only pumpkin-
+headed man alive in the Land of Oz.
+
+A one-legged sailor-man was a member of Ozma's
+council. His name was Cap'n Bill and he had come to the
+Land of Oz with Trot, and had been made welcome on
+account of his cleverness, honesty and good nature. He
+wore a wooden leg to replace the one he had lost and
+was a great friend of all the children in Oz because he
+could whittle all sorts of toys out of wood with his
+big jack-knife.
+
+Professor H. M. Wogglebug, T. E., was another member
+of the council. The "H. M." meant Highly Magnified, for
+the Professor was once a little bug, who became
+magnified to the size of a man and always remained so.
+The "T. E." meant that he was Thoroughly Educated. He
+was at the head of Princess Ozma's Royal Athletic
+College, and so that the students would not have to
+study and so lose much time that could be devoted to
+athletic sports, such as football, baseball and the
+like, Professor Wogglebug had invented the famous
+Educational Pills. If one of the college students took
+a Geography Pill after breakfast, he knew his geography
+lesson in an instant; if he took a Spelling Pill he at
+once knew his spelling lesson, and an Arithmetic Pill
+enabled the student to do any kind of sum without
+having to think about it.
+
+These useful pills made the college very popular and
+taught the boys and girls of Oz their lessons in the
+easiest possible way. In spite of this, Professor
+Wogglebug was not a favorite outside his college, for
+he was very conceited and admired himself so much and
+displayed his cleverness and learning so constantly,
+that no one cared to associate with him. Ozma found him
+of value in her councils, nevertheless.
+
+Perhaps the most splendidly dressed of all those
+present was a great frog as large as a man, called the
+Frogman, who was noted for his wise sayings. He had
+come to the Emerald City from the Yip Country of Oz and
+was a guest of honor. His long-tailed coat was of
+velvet, his vest of satin and his trousers of finest
+silk. There were diamond buckles on his shoes and he
+carried a gold-headed cane and a high silk hat. All of
+the bright colors were represented in his rich attire,
+so it tired one's eyes to look at him for long, until
+one became used to his splendor.
+
+The best farmer in all Oz was Uncle Henry, who was
+Dorothy's own uncle, and who now lived near the Emerald
+City with his wife Aunt Em. Uncle Henry taught the Oz
+people how to grow the finest vegetables and fruits and
+grains and was of much use to Ozma in keeping the Royal
+Storehouses well filled. He, too, was a counsellor.
+
+The reason I mention the little Wizard of Oz last is
+because he was the most important man in the Land of
+Oz. He wasn't a big man in size but he was a man in
+power and intelligence and second only to Glinda the
+Good in all the mystic arts of magic. Glinda had taught
+him, and the Wizard and the Sorceress were the only
+ones in Oz permitted by law to practice wizardry and
+sorcery, which they applied only to good uses and for
+the benefit of the people.
+
+The Wizard wasn't exactly handsome but he was
+pleasant to look at. His bald head was as shiny as if
+it had been varnished; there was always a merry twinkle
+in his eyes and he was as spry as a schoolboy.  Dorothy
+says the reason the Wizard is not as powerful as Glinda
+is because Glinda didn't teach him all she knows, but
+what the Wizard knows he knows very well and so he
+performs some very remarkable magic. The ten I have
+mentioned assembled, with the Scarecrow and Glinda, in
+Ozma's throne room, right after dinner that evening,
+and the Sorceress told them all she knew of the plight
+of Ozma and Dorothy
+
+"Of course we must rescue them," she continued, "and
+the sooner they are rescued the better pleased they
+will be; but what we must now determine is how they can
+be saved. That is why I have called you together in
+council."
+
+"The easiest way," remarked the Shaggy Man, "is to
+raise the sunken island of the Skeezers to the top of
+the water again."
+
+"Tell me how?" said Glinda.
+
+"I don't know how, your Highness, for I have never
+raised a sunken island."
+
+"We might all get under it and lift," suggested
+Professor Wogglebug.
+
+"How can we get under it when it rests on the bottom
+of the lake?" asked the Sorceress.
+
+"Couldn't we throw a rope around it and pull it
+ashore?" inquired Jack Pumpkinhead.
+
+"Why not pump the water out of the lake?" suggested
+the Patchwork Girl with a laugh.
+
+"Do be sensible!" pleaded Glinda. "This is a serious
+matter, and we must give it serious thought."
+
+"How big is the lake and how big is the island?" was
+the Frogman's question.
+
+"None of us can tell, for we have not been there."
+
+"In that case," said the Scarecrow, "it appears to me
+we ought to go to the Skeezer country and examine it
+carefully."
+
+"Quite right," agreed the Tin Woodman.
+
+"We-will-have-to-go-there-any-how," remarked Tik-Tok
+in his jerky machine voice.
+
+"The question is which of us shall go, and how many
+of us?" said the Wizard.
+
+"I shall go of course," declared the Scarecrow.
+
+"And I," said Scraps.
+
+"It is my duty to Ozma to go," asserted the Tin
+Woodman.
+
+"I could not stay away, knowing our loved Princess is
+in danger," said the Wizard.
+
+"We all feel like that," Uncle Henry said.
+
+Finally one and all present decided to go to the
+Skeezer country, with Glinda and the little Wizard to
+lead them. Magic must meet magic in order to conquer
+it, so these two skillful magic-workers were necessary
+to insure the success of the expedition.
+
+They were all ready to start at a moment's notice,
+for none had any affairs of importance to attend to.
+Jack was wearing a newly made Pumpkin-head and the
+Scarecrow had recently been stuffed with fresh straw.
+Tik-Tok's machinery was in good running order and the
+Tin Woodman always was well oiled.
+
+"It is quite a long journey," said Glinda, "and while
+I might travel quickly to the Skeezer country by means
+of my stork chariot the rest of you will be obliged to
+walk. So, as we must keep together, I will send my
+chariot back to my castle and we will plan to leave the
+Emerald City at sunrise to-morrow."
+
+
+
+
+Chapter Fifteen
+
+The Great Sorceress
+
+
+
+Betsy and Trot, when they heard of the rescue
+expedition, begged the Wizard to permit them to join it
+and he consented. The Glass Cat, overhearing the
+conversation, wanted to go also and to this the Wizard
+made no objection.
+
+This Glass Cat was one of the real curiosities of Oz.
+It had been made and brought to life by a clever
+magician named Dr. Pipt, who was not now permitted to
+work magic and was an ordinary citizen of the Emerald
+City. The cat was of transparent glass, through which
+one could plainly see its ruby heart beating and its
+pink brains whirling around in the top of the head.
+
+The Glass Cat's eyes were emeralds; its fluffy tail
+was of spun glass and very beautiful. The ruby heart,
+while pretty to look at, was hard and cold and the
+Glass Cat's disposition was not pleasant at all times.
+It scorned to catch mice, did not eat, and was
+extremely lazy. If you complimented the remarkable cat
+on her beauty, she would be very friendly, for she
+loved admiration above everything. The pink brains were
+always working and their owner was indeed more
+intelligent than most common cats.
+
+Three other additions to the rescue party were made
+the next morning, just as they were setting out upon
+their journey. The first was a little boy called Button
+Bright, because he had no other name that anyone could
+remember. He was a fine, manly little fellow, well
+mannered and good humored, who had only one bad fault.
+He was continually getting lost. To be sure, Button
+Bright got found as often as he got lost, but when he
+was missing his friends could not help being anxious
+about him.
+
+"Some day," predicted the Patchwork Girl, "he won't
+be found, and that will be the last of him." But that
+didn't worry Button Bright, who was so careless that he
+did not seem to be able to break the habit of getting
+lost.
+
+The second addition to the party was a Munchkin boy
+of about Button Bright's age, named Ojo. He was often
+called "Ojo the Lucky," because good fortune followed
+him wherever he went. He and Button Bright were close
+friends, although of such different natures, and Trot
+and Betsy were fond of both.
+
+The third and last to join the expedition was an
+enormous lion, one of Ozma's regular guardians and the
+most important and intelligent beast in all Oz. He
+called himself the Cowardly Lion, saying that every
+little danger scared him so badly that his heart
+thumped against his ribs, but all who knew him knew
+that the Cowardly Lion's fears were coupled with
+bravery and that however much he might be frightened he
+summoned courage to meet every danger he encountered.
+Often he had saved Dorothy and Ozma in times of peril,
+but afterward he moaned and trembled and wept because
+he had been so scared.
+
+"If Ozma needs help, I'm going to help her," said the
+great beast. "Also, I suspect the rest of you may need
+me on the journey -- especially Trot and Betsy -- for
+you may pass through a dangerous part of the country. I
+know that wild Gillikin country pretty well. Its
+forests harbor many ferocious beasts."
+
+They were glad the Cowardly Lion was to join them,
+and in good spirits the entire party formed a
+procession and marched out of the Emerald City amid the
+shouts of the people, who wished them success and a
+safe return with their beloved Ruler.
+
+They followed a different route from that taken by
+Ozma and Dorothy, for they went through the Winkie
+Country and up north toward Oogaboo. But before they
+got there they swerved to the left and entered the
+Great Gillikin Forest, the nearest thing to a
+wilderness in all Oz. Even the Cowardly Lion had to
+admit that certain parts of this forest were unknown to
+him, although he had often wandered among the trees,
+and the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman, who were great
+travelers, never had been there at all.
+
+The forest was only reached after a tedious tramp,
+for some of the Rescue Expedition were quite awkward on
+their feet. The Patchwork Girl was as light as a
+feather and very spry; the Tin Woodman covered the
+ground as easily as Uncle Henry and the Wizard; but
+Tik-Tok moved slowly and the slightest obstruction in
+the road would halt him until the others cleared it
+away. Then, too, Tik-Tok's machinery kept running down,
+so Betsy and Trot took turns in winding it up.
+
+The Scarecrow was more clumsy but less bother, for
+although he often stumbled and fell he could scramble
+up again and a little patting of his straw-stuffed body
+would put him in good shape again.
+
+Another awkward one was Jack Pumpkinhead, for walking
+would jar his head around on his neck and then he would
+be likely to go in the wrong direction. But the Frogman
+took Jack's arm and then he followed the path more
+easily.
+
+Cap'n Bill's wooden leg didn't prevent him from
+keeping up with the others and the old sailor could
+walk as far as any of them.
+
+When they entered the forest the Cowardly Lion took
+the lead. There was no path here for men, but many
+beasts had made paths of their own which only the eyes
+of the Lion, practiced in woodcraft, could discern. So
+he stalked ahead and wound his way in and out, the
+others following in single file, Glinda being next to
+the Lion.
+
+There are dangers in the forest, of course, but as
+the huge Lion headed the party he kept the wild
+denizens of the wilderness from bothering the
+travelers. Once, to be sure, an enormous leopard sprang
+upon the Glass Cat and caught her in his powerful jaws,
+but he broke several of his teeth and with howls of
+pain and dismay dropped his prey and vanished among the
+trees.
+
+"Are you hurt?" Trot anxiously inquired of the Glass
+Cat.
+
+"How silly!" exclaimed the creature in an irritated
+tone of voice; "nothing can hurt glass, and I'm too
+solid to break easily. But I'm annoyed at that
+leopard's impudence. He has no respect for beauty or
+intelligence. If he had noticed my pink brains work,
+I'm sure he would have realized I'm too important to be
+grabbed in a wild beast's jaws."
+
+"Never mind," said Trot consolingly; "I'm sure he
+won't do it again."
+
+They were almost in the center of the forest when
+Ojo, the Munchkin boy, suddenly said: "Why, where's
+Button Bright?"
+
+They halted and looked around them. Button Bright was
+not with the party.
+
+Dear me," remarked Betsy, "I expect he's lost again!"
+
+"When did you see him last, Ojo?"inquired Glinda.
+
+"It was some time ago," replied Ojo. "He was trailing
+along at the end and throwing twigs at the squirrels in
+the trees. Then I went to talk to Betsy and Trot, and
+just now I noticed he was gone."
+
+"This is too bad," declared the Wizard, "for it is
+sure to delay our journey. We must find Button Bright
+before we go any farther, for this forest is full of
+ferocious beasts that would not hesitate to tear the
+boy to pieces."
+
+"But what shall we do?" asked the Scarecrow. "If any
+of us leaves the party to search for Button Bright he
+or she might fall a victim to the beasts, and if the
+Lion leaves us we will have no protector.
+
+"The Glass Cat could go," suggested the Frogman.
+"The beasts can do her no harm, as we have discovered."
+
+The Wizard turned to Glinda.
+
+"Cannot your sorcery discover where Button Bright
+is?" he asked.
+
+"I think so," replied the Sorceress.
+
+She called to Uncle Henry, who had been carrying her
+wicker box, to bring it to her, and when he obeyed she
+opened it and drew out a small round mirror. On the
+surface of the glass she dusted a white powder and then
+wiped it away with her handkerchief and looked in the
+mirror. It reflected a part of the forest, and there,
+beneath a wide-spreading tree, Button Bright was lying
+asleep. On one side of him crouched a tiger, ready to
+spring; on the other side was a big gray wolf, its
+bared fangs glistening in a wicked way.
+
+"Goodness me!" cried Trot, looking over Glinda's
+shoulder. "They'll catch and kill him sure."
+
+Everyone crowded around for a glimpse at the magic
+mirror.
+
+"Pretty bad -- pretty bad!" said the Scarecrow
+sorrowfully.
+
+"Comes of getting lost!" said Cap'n Bill, sighing.
+
+"Guess he's a goner!" said the Frogman, wiping his
+eyes on his purple silk handkerchief.
+
+"But where is he?  Can't we save him?" asked Ojo the
+Lucky.
+
+"If we knew where he is we could probably save him,"
+replied the little Wizard, "but that tree looks so much
+like all the other trees, that we can't tell whether
+it's far away or near by."
+
+"Look at Glinda!" exclaimed Betsy
+
+Glinda, having handed the mirror to the Wizard, had
+stepped aside and was making strange passes with her
+outstretched arms and reciting in low, sweet tones a
+mystical incantation. Most of them watched the
+Sorceress with anxious eyes, despair giving way to the
+hope that she might be able to save their friend. the
+Wizard, however, watched the scene in the mirror, while
+over his shoulders peered Trot, the Scarecrow and the
+Shaggy Man.
+
+What they saw was more strange than Glinda's actions.
+The tiger started to spring on the sleeping boy, but
+suddenly lost its power to move and lay flat upon the
+ground. The gray wolf seemed unable to lift its feet
+from the ground. It pulled first at one leg and then at
+another, and finding itself strangely confined to the
+spot began to back and snarl angrily. They couldn't
+hear the barkings and snarls, but they could see the
+creature's mouth open and its thick lips move. Button
+Bright, however, being but a few feet away from the
+wolf, heard its cries of rage, which wakened him from
+his untroubled sleep. The boy sat up and looked first
+at the tiger and then at the wolf. His face showed that
+for a moment he was quite frightened, but he soon saw
+that the beasts were unable to approach him and so he
+got upon his feet and examined them curiously, with a
+mischievous smile upon his face. Then he deliberately
+kicked the tiger's head with his foot and catching up a
+fallen branch of a tree he went to the wolf and gave it
+a good whacking. Both the beasts were furious at such
+treatment but could not resent it.
+
+Button Bright now threw down the stick and with his
+hands in his pockets wandered carelessly away.
+
+"Now," said Glinda, "let the Glass Cat run and find
+him. He is in that direction," pointing the way, "but
+how far off I do not know. Make haste and lead him back
+to us as quickly as you can."
+
+The Glass Cat did not obey everyone's orders, but she
+really feared the great Sorceress, so as soon as the
+words were spoken the crystal animal darted away and
+was quickly lost to sight.
+
+The Wizard handed the mirror back to Glinda, for the
+woodland scene had now faded from the glass. Then those
+who cared to rest sat down to await Button Bright's
+coming. It was not long before be appeared through the
+trees and as he rejoined his friends he said in a
+peevish tone:
+
+"Don't ever send that Glass Cat to find me again. She
+was very impolite and, if we didn't all know that she
+had no manners, I'd say she insulted me."
+
+Glinda turned upon the boy sternly.
+
+"You have caused all of us much anxiety and
+annoyance," said she. "Only my magic saved you from
+destruction. I forbid you to get lost again."
+
+"Of course," he answered. "It won't be my fault if I
+get lost again; but it wasn't my fault this time."
+
+
+
+
+Chapter Sixteen
+
+The Enchanted Fishes
+
+
+
+I must now tell you what happened to Ervic and the
+three other Skeezers who were left floating in the iron
+boat after Queen Coo-ee-oh had been transformed into a
+Diamond Swan by the magic of the Flathead Su-dic.
+
+The four Skeezers were all young men and their leader
+was Ervic. Coo-ee-oh had taken them with her in the
+boat to assist her if she captured the Flathead chief,
+as she hoped to do by means of her silver rope. They
+knew nothing about the witchcraft that moved the
+submarine and so, when left floating upon the lake,
+were at a loss what to do. The submarine could not be
+submerged by them or made to return to the sunken
+island. There were neither oars nor sails in the boat,
+which was not anchored but drifted quietly upon the
+surface of the lake.
+
+The Diamond Swan had no further thought or care for
+her people. She had sailed over to the other side of
+the lake and all the calls and pleadings of Ervic and
+his companions were unheeded by the vain bird. As there
+was nothing else for them to do, they sat quietly in
+their boat and waited as patiently as they could for
+someone to come to their aid.
+
+The Flatheads had refused to help them and had gone
+back to their mountain. All the Skeezers were
+imprisoned in the Great Dome and could not help even
+themselves. When evening came, they saw the Diamond
+Swan, still keeping to the opposite shore of the lake,
+walk out of the water to the sands, shake her diamond-
+sprinkled feathers, and then disappear among the bushes
+to seek a resting place for the night.
+
+"I'm hungry," said Ervic.
+
+"I'm cold," said another Skeezer.
+
+"I'm tired," said a third.
+
+"I'm afraid," said the last one of them.
+
+But it did them no good to complain. Night fell and
+the moon rose and cast a silvery sheen over the surface
+of the water.
+
+"Go to sleep," said Ervic to his companions. "I'll
+stay awake and watch, for we may be rescued in some
+unexpected way.
+
+So the other three laid themselves down in the bottom
+of the boat and were soon fast asleep.
+
+Ervic watched. He rested himself by leaning over the
+bow of the boat, his face near to the moonlit water,
+and thought dreamily of the day's surprising events and
+wondered what would happen to the prisoners in the
+Great Dome.
+
+Suddenly a tiny goldfish popped its head above the
+surface of the lake, not more than a foot from his
+eyes. A silverfish then raised its head beside that of
+the goldfish, and a moment later a bronzefish lifted
+its head beside the others. The three fish, all in a
+row, looked earnestly with their round, bright eyes
+into the astonished eyes of Ervic the Skeezer.
+
+"We are the three Adepts whom Queen Coo-ee-oh
+betrayed and wickedly transformed," said the goldfish,
+its voice low and soft but distinctly heard in the
+stillness of the night.
+
+"I know of our Queen's treacherous deed," replied
+Ervic, "and I am sorry for your misfortune. Have you
+been in the lake ever since?"
+
+"Yes," was the reply.
+
+"I -- I hope you are well -- and comfortable,"
+stammered Ervic, not knowing what else to say.
+
+"We knew that some day Ooo-ee-oh would meet with the
+fate she so richly deserves," declared the bronzefish.
+"We have waited and watched for this time. Now if you
+will promise to help us and will be faithful and true,
+you can aid us in regaining our natural forms, and save
+yourself and all your people from the dangers that now
+threaten you."
+
+"Well," said Ervic, "you can depend on my doing the
+best I can. But I'm no witch, nor magician, you must
+know."
+
+"All we ask is that you obey our instructions,"
+returned the silverfish. "We know that you are honest
+and that you served Coo-ee-oh only because you were
+obliged to in order to escape her anger. Do as we
+command and all will be well."
+
+"I promise!" exclaimed the young man. "Tell me what I
+am to do first."
+
+"You will find in the bottom of your boat the silver
+cord which dropped from Coo-ee-oh's hand when she was
+transformed," said the goldfish. "Tie one end of that
+cord to the bow of your boat and drop the other end to
+us in the water. Together we will pull your boat to the
+shore."
+
+Ervic much doubted that the three small fishes could
+move so heavy a boat, but he did as he was told and the
+fishes all seized their end of the silver cord in their
+mouths and headed toward the nearest shore, which was
+the very place where the Flatheads had stood when they
+conquered Queen Coo-ee-oh.
+
+At first the boat did not move at all, although the
+fishes pulled with all their strength. But presently
+the strain began to tell. Very slowly the boat crept
+toward the shore, gaining more speed at every moment. A
+couple of yards away from the sandy beach the fishes
+dropped the cord from their mouths and swam to one
+side, while the iron boat, being now under way,
+continued to move until its prow grated upon the sands.
+
+Ervic leaned over the side and said to the fishes:
+"What next?"
+
+"You will find upon the sand," said the silverfish,
+"a copper kettle, which the Su-dic forgot when he went
+away. Cleanse it thoroughly in the water of the lake,
+for it has had poison in it. When it is cleaned, fill
+it with fresh water and hold it over the side of the
+boat, so that we three may swim into the kettle. We
+will then instruct you further."
+
+"Do you wish me to catch you, then?" asked Ervic in
+surprise.
+
+"Yes," was the reply.
+
+So Ervic jumped out of the boat and found the copper
+kettle. Carrying it a little way down the beach, he
+washed it well, scrubbing away every drop of the poison
+it had contained with sand from the shore
+
+Then he went back to the boat.
+
+Ervic's comrades were still sound asleep and knew
+nothing of the three fishes or what strange happenings
+were taking place about them. Ervic dipped the kettle
+in the lake, holding fast to the handle until it was
+under water. The gold and silver and bronze fishes
+promptly swam into the kettle. The young Skeezer then
+lifted it, poured out a little of the water so it would
+not spill over the edge, and said to the fishes: "What
+next?"
+
+"Carry the kettle to the shore. Take one hundred
+steps to the east, along the edge of the lake, and then
+you will see a path leading through the meadows, up
+hill and down dale. Follow the path until you come to a
+cottage which is painted a purple color with white
+trimmings. When you stop at the gate of this cottage we
+will tell you what to do next. Be careful, above all,
+not to stumble and spill the water from the kettle, or
+you would destroy us and all you have done would be in
+vain."
+
+The goldfish issued these commands and Ervic promised
+to be careful and started to obey. He left his sleeping
+comrades in the boat, stepping cautiously over their
+bodies, and on reaching the shore took exactly one
+hundred steps to the east. Then he looked for the path
+and the moonlight was so bright that he easily
+discovered it, although it was hidden from view by tall
+weeds until one came full upon it. This path was very
+narrow and did not seem to be much used, but it was
+quite distinct and Ervic had no difficulty in following
+it. He walked through a broad meadow, covered with tall
+grass and weeds, up a hill and down into a valley and
+then up another hill and down again.
+
+It seemed to Ervic that he had walked miles and
+miles. Indeed the moon sank low and day was beginning
+to dawn when finally he discovered by the roadside a
+pretty little cottage, painted purple with white
+trimmings. It was a lonely place -- no other buildings
+were anywhere about and the ground was not tilled at
+all. No farmer lived here, that was certain. Who would
+care to dwell in such an isolated place?
+
+But Ervic did not bother his head long with such
+questions. He went up to the gate that led to the
+cottage, set the copper kettle carefully down and
+bending over it asked:
+
+"What next?"
+
+
+
+
+Chapter Seventeen
+
+Under the Great Dome
+
+
+
+When Glinda the Good and her followers of the Rescue
+Expedition came in sight of the Enchanted Mountain of
+the Flatheads, it was away to the left of them, for the
+route they had taken through the Great Forest was some
+distance from that followed by Ozma and Dorothy.
+
+They halted awhile to decide whether they should call
+upon the Supreme Dictator first, or go on to the Lake
+of the Skeezers.
+
+"If we go to the mountain," said the Wizard, "we may
+get into trouble with that wicked Su-dic, and then we
+would be delayed in rescuing Ozma and Dorothy. So I
+think our best plan will be to go to the Skeezer
+Country, raise the sunken island and save our friends
+and the imprisoned Skeezers. Afterward we can visit the
+mountain and punish the cruel magician of the
+Flatheads."
+
+"That is sensible," approved the Shaggy Man. "I quite
+agree with you."
+
+The others, too, seemed to think the Wizard's plan
+the best, and Glinda herself commended it, so on they
+marched toward the line of palm trees that hid the
+Skeezers' lake from view.
+
+Pretty soon they came to the palms. These were set
+closely together, the branches, which came quite to the
+ground, being so tightly interlaced that even the Glass
+Cat could scarcely find a place to squeeze through. The
+path which the Flatheads used was some distance away.
+
+"Here's a job for the Tin Woodman," said the
+Scarecrow.
+
+So the Tin Woodman, who was always glad to be of use,
+set to work with his sharp, gleaming axe, which he
+always carried, and in a surprisingly short time had
+chopped away enough branches to permit them all to pass
+easily through the trees.
+
+Now the clear waters of the beautiful lake were
+before them and by looking closely they could see the
+outlines of the Great Dome of the sunken island, far
+from shore and directly in the center of the lake.
+
+Of course every eye was at first fixed upon this
+dome, where Ozma and Dorothy and the Skeezers were
+still fast prisoners. But soon their attention was
+caught by a more brilliant sight, for here was the
+Diamond Swan swimming just before them, its long neck
+arched proudly, the amethyst eyes gleaming and all the
+diamond-sprinkled feathers glistening splendidly under
+the rays of the sun.
+
+"That," said Glinda, "is the transformation of Queen
+Coo-ce-oh, the haughty and wicked witch who betrayed
+the three Adepts at Magic and treated her people like
+slaves."
+
+"She's wonderfully beautiful now," remarked the
+Frogman.
+
+"It doesn't seem like much of a punishment," said
+Trot. "The Flathead Su-dic ought to have made her a
+toad."
+
+"I am sure Coo-ee-oh is punished," said Glinda, "for
+she has lost all her magic power and her grand palace
+and can no longer misrule the poor Skeezers."
+
+"Let us call to her, and hear what she has to say,"
+proposed the Wizard.
+
+So Glinda beckoned the Diamond Swan, which swam
+gracefully to a position near them. Before anyone could
+speak Coo-ee-oh called to them in a rasping voice --
+for the voice of a swan is always harsh and unpleasant
+-- and said with much pride:
+
+"Admire me, Strangers!  Admire the lovely Coo-ee-oh,
+the handsomest creature in all Oz. Admire me!"
+
+"Handsome is as handsome does," replied the
+Scarecrow. "Are your deeds lovely, Coo-ce-oh?"
+
+"Deeds?  What deeds can a swan do but swim around and
+give pleasure to all beholders?" said the sparkling
+bird.
+
+"Have you forgotten your former life? Have you
+forgotten your magic and witchcraft?" inquired the
+Wizard.
+
+"Magic -- witchcraft? Pshaw, who cares for such silly
+things?" retorted Coo-ee-oh. "As for my past life, it
+seems like an unpleasant dream. I wouldn't go back to
+it if I could. Don't you admire my beauty, Strangers?"
+
+"Tell us, Coo-ee-oh," said Glinda earnestly, "if you
+can recall enough of your witchcraft to enable us to
+raise the sunken island to the surface of the lake.
+Tell us that and I'll give you a string of pearls to
+wear around your neck and add to your beauty."
+
+"Nothing can add to my beauty, for I'm the most
+beautiful creature anywhere in the whole world."
+
+"But how can we raise the island?"
+
+"I don't know and I don't care. If ever I knew I've
+forgotten, and I'm glad of it," was the response. "Just
+watch me circle around and see me glitter!
+
+"It's no use," said Button Bright; "the old Swan is
+too much in love with herself to think of anything
+else."
+
+"That's a fact," agreed Betsy with a sigh; "but we've
+got to get Ozma and Dorothy out of that lake, somehow
+or other."
+
+"And we must do it in our own way," added the
+Scarecrow.
+
+"But how?" asked Uncle Henry in a grave voice, for he
+could not bear to think of his dear niece Dorothy being
+out there under water; "how shall we do it?"
+
+"Leave that to Glinda," advised the Wizard, realizing
+he was helpless to do it himself.
+
+"If it were just an ordinary sunken island," said the
+powerful sorceress, "there would be several ways by
+which I might bring it to the surface again. But this
+is a Magic Isle, and by some curious art of witchcraft,
+unknown to any but Queen Coo-ce-oh, it obeys certain
+commands of magic and will not respond to any other. I
+do not despair in the least, but it will require some
+deep study to solve this difficult problem. If the Swan
+could only remember the witchcraft that she invented
+and knew as a woman, I could force her to tell me the
+secret, but all her former knowledge is now forgotten."
+
+"It seems to me," said the Wizard after a brief
+silence had followed Glinda's speech, "that there are
+three fishes in this lake that used to be Adepts at
+Magic and from whom Coo-ee-oh stole much of her
+knowledge. If we could find those fishes and return
+them to their former shapes, they could doubtless tell
+us what to do to bring the sunken island to the
+surface."
+
+"I have thought of those fishes," replied Glinda,
+"but among so many fishes as this lake contains how are
+we to single them out?"
+
+You will understand, of course, that had Glinda been
+at home in her castle, where the Great Book of Records
+was, she would have known that Ervic the Skeezer
+already had taken the gold and silver and bronze fishes
+from the lake. But that act had been recorded in the
+Book after Glinda had set out on this journey, so it
+was all unknown to her.
+
+"I think I see a boat yonder on the shore," said Ojo
+the Munchkin boy, pointing to a place around the edge
+of the lake. "If we could get that boat and row all
+over the lake, calling to the magic fishes, we might be
+able to find them."
+
+"Let us go to the boat," said the Wizard.
+
+They walked around the lake to where the boat was
+stranded upon the beach, but found it empty. It was a
+mere shell of blackened steel, with a collapsible roof
+that, when in position, made the submarine watertight,
+but at present the roof rested in slots on either side
+of the magic craft. There were no oars or sails, no
+machinery to make the boat go, and although Glinda
+promptly realized it was meant to be operated by
+witchcraft, she was not acquainted with that sort of
+magic.
+
+"However," said she, "the boat is merely a boat, and
+I believe I can make it obey a command of sorcery, as
+well as it did the command of witchcraft. After I have
+given a little thought to the matter, the boat will
+take us wherever we desire to go."
+
+"Not all of us," returned the Wizard, "for it won't
+hold so many. But, most noble Sorceress, provided you
+can make the boat go, of what use will it be to us?"
+
+"Can't we use it to catch the three fishes?" asked
+Button Bright.
+
+"It will not be necessary to use the boat for that
+purpose," replied Glinda. "Wherever in the lake the
+enchanted fishes may be, they will answer to my call.
+What I am trying to discover is how the boat came to be
+on this shore, while the island on which it belongs is
+under water yonder. Did Coo-ee-oh come here in the boat
+to meet the Flatheads before the island was sunk, or
+afterward?"
+
+No one could answer that question, of course; but
+while they pondered the matter three young men advanced
+from the line of trees, and rather timidly bowed to the
+strangers.
+
+"Who are you, and where did you come from?" inquired
+the Wizard.
+
+"We are Skeezers," answered one of them, "and our
+home is on the Magic Isle of the Lake. We ran away when
+we saw you coming, and hid behind the trees, but as you
+are Strangers and seem to be friendly we decided to
+meet you, for we are in great trouble and need
+assistance."
+
+"If you belong on the island, why are you here?"
+demanded Glinda.
+
+So they told her all the story: How the Queen had
+defied the Flatheads and submerged the whole island so
+that her enemies could not get to it or destroy it;
+how, when the Flatheads came to the shore, Coo-ee-oh
+had commanded them, together with their friend Ervic,
+to go with her in the submarine to conquer the Su-dic,
+and how the boat had shot out from the basement of the
+sunken isle, obeying a magic word, and risen to the
+surface, where it opened and floated upon the water.
+
+Then followed the account of how the Su-dic had
+transformed Coo-ee-oh into a swan, after which she had
+forgotten all the witchcraft she ever knew. The young
+men told how, in the night when they were asleep, their
+comrade Ervic had mysteriously disappeared, while the
+boat in some strange manner had floated to the shore
+and stranded upon the beach.
+
+That was all they knew. They had searched in vain for
+three days for Ervic. As their island was under water
+and they could not get back to it, the three Skeezers
+had no place to go, and so had waited patiently beside
+their boat for something to happen.
+
+Being questioned by Glinda and the Wizard, they told
+all they knew about Ozma and Dorothy and declared the
+two girls were still in the village under the Great
+Dome. They were quite safe and would be well cared for
+by Lady Aurex, now that the Queen who opposed them was
+out of the way.
+
+When they had gleaned all the information they could
+from these Skeezers, the Wizard said to Glinda:
+
+"If you find you can make this boat obey your
+sorcery, you could have it return to the island,
+submerge itself, and enter the door in the basement
+from which it came. But I cannot see that our going to
+the sunken island would enable our friends to escape.
+We would only Join them as prisoners."
+
+"Not so, friend Wizard," replied Glinda. "If the boat
+would obey my commands to enter the basement door, it
+would also obey my commands to come out again, and I
+could bring Ozma and Dorothy back with me."
+
+"And leave all of our people still imprisoned?" asked
+one of the Skeezers reproachfully.
+
+"By making several trips in the boat, Glinda could
+fetch all your people to the shore," replied the
+Wizard.
+
+"But what could they do then?" inquired another
+Skeezer. "They would have no homes and no place to go,
+and would be at the mercy of their enemies, the
+Flatheads."
+
+"That is true," said Glinda the Good. "And as these
+people are Ozma's subjects, I think she would refuse to
+escape with Dorothy and leave the others behind, or to
+abandon the island which is the lawful home of the
+Skeezers. I believe the best plan will be to summon the
+three fishes and learn from them how to raise the
+island."
+
+The little Wizard seemed to think that this was
+rather a forlorn hope.
+
+"How will you summon them," he asked the lovely
+Sorceress, "and how can they hear you?"
+
+"That is something we must consider carefully,"
+responded stately Glinda, with a serene smile.  "I
+think I can find a way."
+
+All of Ozma's counsellors applauded this sentiment,
+for they knew well the powers of the Sorceress.
+
+"Very well," agreed the Wizard. "Summon them, most
+noble Glinda."
+
+
+
+
+Chapter Eighteen
+
+The Cleverness of Ervic
+
+
+
+We must now return to Ervic the Skeezer, who, when he
+had set down the copper kettle containing the three
+fishes at the gate of the lonely cottage, had asked,
+"What next?"
+
+The goldfish stuck its head above the water in the
+kettle and said in its small but distinct voice:
+
+"You are to lift the latch, open the door, and walk
+boldly into the cottage. Do not be afraid of anything
+you see, for however you seem to be threatened with
+dangers, nothing can harm you. The cottage is the home
+of a powerful Yookoohoo, named Reera the Red, who
+assumes all sorts of forms, sometimes changing her form
+several times in a day, according to her fancy. What
+her real form may be we do not know. This strange
+creature cannot be bribed with treasure, or coaxed
+through friendship, or won by pity. She has never
+assisted anyone, or done wrong to anyone, that we know
+of. All her wonderful powers are used for her own
+selfish amusement. She will order you out of the house
+but you must refuse to go. Remain and watch Reera
+closely and try to see what she uses to accomplish her
+transformations. If you can discover the secret
+whisper it to us and we will then tell you what to do
+next."
+
+"That sounds easy," returned Ervic, who had listened
+carefully. "But are you sure she will not hurt me, or
+try to transform me?"
+
+"She may change your form," replied the goldfish,
+"but do not worry if that happens, for we can break
+that enchantment easily. You may be sure that nothing
+will harm you, so you must not be frightened at
+anything you see or hear."
+
+Now Ervic was as brave as any ordinary young man, and
+he knew the fishes who spoke to him were truthful and
+to be relied upon, nevertheless he experienced a
+strange sinking of the heart as he picked up the kettle
+and approached the door of the cottage. His hand
+trembled as he raised the latch, but he was resolved to
+obey his instructions. He pushed the door open, took
+three strides into the middle of the one room the
+cottage contained, and then stood still and looked
+around him.
+
+The sights that met his gaze were enough to frighten
+anyone who had not been properly warned. On the floor
+just before Ervic lay a great crocodile, its red eyes
+gleaming wickedly and its wide open mouth displaying
+rows of sharp teeth. Horned toads hopped about; each
+of the four upper corners of the room was festooned
+with a thick cobweb, in the center of which sat a
+spider as big around as a washbasin, and armed with
+pincher-like claws; a red-and-green lizard was
+stretched at full length on the window-sill and black
+rats darted in and out of the holes they had gnawed in
+the floor of the cottage.
+
+But the most startling thing was a huge gray ape
+which sat upon a bench and knitted. It wore a lace cap,
+such as old ladies wear, and a little apron of lace,
+but no other clothing. Its eyes were bright and looked
+as if coals were burning in them. The ape moved as
+naturally as an ordinary person might, and on Ervic's
+entrance stopped knitting and raised its head to look
+at him.
+
+"Get out!" cried a sharp voice, seeming to come from
+the ape's mouth.
+
+Ervic saw another bench, empty, just beyond him, so
+he stepped over the crocodile, sat down upon the bench
+and carefully placed the kettle beside him.
+
+"Get out!" again cried the voice.
+
+Ervic shook his head.
+
+"No," said he, "I'm going to stay."
+
+The spiders left their four corners, dropped to the
+floor and made a rush toward the young Skeezer,
+circling around his legs with their pinchers extended.
+Ervic paid no attention to them. An enormous black rat
+ran up Ervic's body, passed around his shoulders and
+uttered piercing squeals in his ears, but he did not
+wince. The green-and-red lizard, coming from the
+window-sill, approached Ervic and began spitting a
+flaming fluid at him, but Ervic merely stared at the
+creature and its flame did not touch him.
+
+The crocodile raised its tail and, swinging around,
+swept Ervic off the bench with a powerful blow. But the
+Skeezer managed to save the kettle from upsetting and
+he got up, shook off the horned toads that were
+crawling over him and resumed his seat on the bench.
+
+All the creatures, after this first attack, remained
+motionless, as if awaiting orders. The old gray ape
+knitted on, not looking toward Ervic now, and the young
+Skeezer stolidly kept his seat. He expected something
+else to happen, but nothing did. A full hour passed and
+Ervic was growing nervous.
+
+"What do you want?" the ape asked at last.
+
+"Nothing," said Ervic.
+
+"You may have that!" retorted the ape, and at this
+all the strange creatures in the room broke into a
+chorus of cackling laughter.
+
+Another long wait.
+
+"Do you know who I am?" questioned the ape.
+
+"You must be Reera the Red -- the Yookoohoo," Ervic
+answered.
+
+"Knowing so much, you must also know that I do not
+like strangers. Your presence here in my home annoys
+me. Do you not fear my anger?"
+
+"No," said the young man.
+
+"Do you intend to obey me, and leave this house?"
+"No," replied Ervic, just as quietly as the Yookoohoo
+had spoken.
+
+The ape knitted for a long time before resuming the
+conversation.
+
+"Curiosity," it said, "has led to many a man's
+undoing. I suppose in some way you have learned that I
+do tricks of magic, and so through curiosity you have
+come here. You may have been told that I do not injure
+anyone, so you are bold enough to disobey my commands
+to go away. You imagine that you may witness some of
+the rites of witchcraft, and that they may amuse you.
+Have I spoken truly?"
+
+"Well," remarked Ervic, who had been pondering on the
+strange circumstances of his coming here, "you are
+right in some ways, but not in others. I am told that
+you work magic only for your own amusement. That seems
+to me very selfish. Few people understand magic. I'm
+told that you are the only real Yookoohoo in all Oz.
+Why don't you amuse others as well as yourself?"
+
+"What right have you to question my actions?"
+
+"None at all."
+
+"And you say you are not here to demand any
+favors of me?"
+
+"For myself I want nothing from you."
+
+"You are wise in that. I never grant favors."
+
+"That doesn't worry me," declared Ervic.
+
+"But you are curious? You hope to witness some of my
+magic transformations?"
+
+"If you wish to perform any magic, go ahead," said
+Ervic. "It may interest me and it may not. If you'd
+rather go on with your knitting, it's all the same to
+me. I am in no hurry at all."
+
+This may have puzzled Red Reera, but the face beneath
+the lace cap could show no expression, being covered
+with hair. Perhaps in all her career the Yookoohoo had
+never been visited by anyone who, like this young man,
+asked for nothing, expected nothing, and had no reason
+for coming except curiosity. This attitude practically
+disarmed the witch and she began to regard the Skeezer
+in a more friendly way. She knitted for some time,
+seemingly in deep thought, and then she arose and
+walked to a big cupboard that stood against the wall of
+the room. When the cupboard door was opened Ervic could
+see a lot of drawers inside, and into one of these
+drawers -- the second from the bottom -- Reera thrust a
+hairy hand.
+
+Until now Ervic could see over the bent form of the
+ape, but suddenly the form, with its back to him,
+seemed to straighten up and blot out the cupboard of
+drawers. The ape had changed to the form of a woman,
+dressed in the pretty Gillikin costume, and when she
+turned around he saw that it was a young woman, whose
+face was quite attractive.
+
+"Do you like me better this way?" Reera inquired with
+a smile.
+
+"You look better," he said calmly, "but I'm not sure
+I like you any better."
+
+She laughed, saying: "During the heat of the day I
+like to be an ape, for an ape doesn't wear any clothes
+to speak of. But if one has gentlemen callers it is
+proper to dress up."
+
+Ervic noticed her right hand was closed, as if she
+held something in it. She shut the cupboard door, bent
+over the crocodile and in a moment the creature had
+changed to a red wolf. It was not pretty even now, and
+the wolf crouched beside its mistress as a dog might
+have done. Its teeth looked as dangerous as had those
+of the crocodile.
+
+Next the Yookoohoo went about touching all the
+lizards and toads, and at her touch they became
+kittens. The rats she changed into chipmunks. Now the
+only horrid creatures remaining were the four great
+spiders, which hid themselves behind their thick webs.
+
+"There!" Reera cried, "now my cottage presents a more
+comfortable appearance. I love the toads and lizards
+and rats, because most people hate them, but I would
+tire of them if they always remained the same.
+Sometimes I change their forms a dozen times a day."
+
+"You are clever," said Ervic. "I did not hear you
+utter any incantations or magic words. All you did was
+to touch the creatures."
+
+"Oh, do you think so?" she replied. "Well, touch them
+yourself, if you like, and see if you can change their
+forms."
+
+"No," said the Skeezer, "I don't understand magic and
+if I did I would not try to imitate your skill. You are
+a wonderful Yookoohoo, while I am only a common
+Skeezer."
+
+This confession seemed to please Reera, who liked to
+have her witchcraft appreciated.
+
+"Will you go away now?" she asked. "I prefer to be
+alone."
+
+"I prefer to stay here," said Ervic.
+
+"In another person's home, where you are not wanted?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Is not your curiosity yet satisfied?" demanded
+Reera, with a smile.
+
+"I don't know. Is there anything else you can do?"
+
+"Many things. But why should I exhibit my powers to a
+stranger?"
+
+"I can think of no reason at all," he replied.
+
+She looked at him curiously.
+
+"You want no power for yourself, you say, and you're
+too stupid to be able to steal my secrets. This isn't a
+pretty cottage, while outside are sunshine, broad
+prairies and beautiful wildflowers. Yet you insist on
+sitting on that bench and annoying me with your
+unwelcome presence. What have you in that kettle?"
+
+"Three fishes," he answered readily.
+
+"Where did you get them?"
+
+"I caught them in the Lake of the Skeezers."
+
+"What do you intend to do with the fishes?"
+
+"I shall carry them to the home of a friend of mine
+who has three children. The children will love to have
+the fishes for pets."
+
+She came over to the bench and looked into the
+kettle, where the three fishes were swimming quietly in
+the water.
+
+"They're pretty," said Reera. "Let me transform them
+into something else."
+
+"No," objected the Skeezer.
+
+"I love to transform things; it's so interesting. And
+I've never transformed any fishes in all my life."
+
+"Let them alone," said Ervic.
+
+"What shapes would you prefer them to have? I can
+make them turtles, or cute little sea-horses; or I
+could make them piglets, or rabbits, or guinea-pigs;
+or, if you like I can make chickens of them, or eagles,
+or bluejays."
+
+"Let them alone!" repeated Ervic.
+
+"You're not a very pleasant visitor," laughed Red
+Reera. "People accuse me of being cross and crabbed
+and unsociable, and they are quite right. If you had
+come here pleading and begging for favors, and half
+afraid of my Yookoohoo magic, I'd have abused you until
+you ran away; but you're quite different from that.
+You're the unsociable and crabbed and disagreeable one,
+and so I like you, and bear with your grumpiness. It's
+time for my midday meal; are you hungry?"
+
+"No," said Ervic, although he really desired food.
+
+"Well, I am," Reera declared and clapped her hands
+together. Instantly a table appeared, spread with linen
+and bearing dishes of various foods, some smoking hot.
+There were two plates laid, one at each end of the
+table, and as soon as Reera seated herself all her
+creatures gathered around her, as if they were
+accustomed to be fed when she ate. The wolf squatted at
+her right hand and the kittens and chipmunks gathered
+at her left.
+
+"Come, Stranger, sit down and eat," she called
+cheerfully, "and while we're eating let us decide into
+what forms we shall change your fishes."
+
+"They're all right as they are," asserted Ervic,
+drawing up his bench to the table. "The fishes are
+beauties -- one gold, one silver and one bronze.
+Nothing that has life is more lovely than a beautiful
+fish."
+
+"What! Am I not more lovely?" Reera asked, smiling at
+his serious face.
+
+"I don't object to you -- for a Yookoohoo, you know,"
+he said, helping himself to the food and eating with
+good appetite.
+
+"And don't you consider a beautiful girl more lovely
+than a fish, however pretty the fish may be?"
+
+"Well," replied Ervic, after a period of thought,
+"that might be. If you transformed my three fish into
+three girls -- girls who would be Adepts at Magic, you
+know they might please me as well as the fish do. You
+won't do that of course, because you can't, with all
+your skill. And, should you be able to do so, I fear my
+troubles would be more than I could bear. They would
+not consent to be my slaves -- especially if they were
+Adepts at Magic -- and so they would command me to obey
+them. No, Mistress Reeraq let us not transform the
+fishes at all."
+
+The Skeezer had put his case with remarkable
+cleverness. He realized that if he appeared anxious for
+such a transformation the Yookoohoo would not perform
+it, yet he had skillfully suggested that they be made
+Adepts at Magic.
+
+
+
+
+
+Chapter Nineteen
+
+Red Reera, the Yookoohoo
+
+
+
+After the meal was over and Reera had fed her pets,
+including the four monster spiders which had come down
+from their webs to secure their share, she made the
+table disappear from the floor of the cottage.
+
+"I wish you'd consent to my transforming your
+fishes," she said, as she took up her knitting again.
+
+The Skeezer made no reply. He thought it unwise to
+hurry matters. All during the afternoon they sat
+silent. Once Reera went to her cupboard and after
+thrusting her hand into the same drawer as before,
+touched the wolf and transformed it into a bird with
+gorgeous colored feathers. This bird was larger than a
+parrot and of a somewhat different form, but Ervic had
+never seen one like it before.
+
+"Sing!" said Reera to the bird, which had perched
+itself on a big wooden peg -- as if it had been in the
+cottage before and knew just what to do.
+
+And the bird sang jolly, rollicking songs with words
+to them -- just as a person who had been carefully
+trained might do. The songs were entertaining and Ervic
+enjoyed listening to them. In an hour or so the bird
+stopped singing, tucked its head under its wing and
+went to sleep. Reera continued knitting but seemed
+thoughtful.
+
+Now Ervic had marked this cupboard drawer well and
+had concluded that Reera took something from it which
+enabled her to perform her transformations. He thought
+that if he managed to remain in the cottage, and Reera
+fell asleep, he could slyly open the cupboard, take a
+portion of whatever was in the drawer, and by dropping
+it into the copper kettle transform the three fishes
+into their natural shapes. Indeed, he had firmly
+resolved to carry out this plan when the Yookoohoo put
+down her knitting and walked toward the door.
+
+"I'm going out for a few minutes," said she; "do you
+wish to go with me, or will you remain here?"
+
+Ervic did not answer but sat quietly on his bench. So
+Reera went out and closed the cottage door.
+
+As soon as she was gone, Ervic rose and tiptoed to
+the cupboard.
+
+"Take care! Take care!" cried several voices, coming
+from the kittens and chipmunks. "If you touch anything
+we'll tell the Yookoohoo!"
+
+Ervic hesitated a moment but, remembering that he
+need not consider Reera's anger if he succeeded in
+transforming the fishes, he was about to open the
+cupboard when he was arrested by the voices of the
+fishes, which stuck their heads above the water in the
+kettle and called out:
+
+"Come here, Ervic!"
+
+So he went back to the kettle and bent over it
+
+"Let the cupboard alone," said the goldfish to him
+earnestly. "You could not succeed by getting that magic
+powder, for only the Yookoohoo knows how to use it. The
+best way is to allow her to transform us into three
+girls, for then we will have our natural shapes and be
+able to perform all the Arts of Magic we have learned
+and well understand. You are acting wisely and in the
+most effective manner. We did not know you were so
+intelligent, or that Reera could be so easily deceived
+by you. Continue as you have begun and try to persuade
+her to transform us. But insist that we be given the
+forms of girls."
+
+The goldfish ducked its head down just as Reera re-
+entered the cottage. She saw Ervic bent over the
+kettle, so she came and joined him.
+
+"Can your fishes talk?" she asked.
+
+"Sometimes," he replied, "for all fishes in the Land
+of Oz know how to speak. Just now they were asking me
+for some bread. They are hungry."
+
+"Well, they can have some bread," said Reera. "But it
+is nearly supper-time, and if you would allow me to
+transform your fishes into girls they could join us at
+the table and have plenty of food much nicer than
+crumbs. Why not let me transform them?"
+
+"Well," said Ervic, as if hesitating, "ask the
+fishes. If they consent, why -- why, then, I'll think
+it over."
+
+Reera bent over the kettle and asked:
+
+"Can you hear me, little fishes?"
+
+All three popped their heads above water.
+
+"We can hear you," said the bronzefish.
+
+"I want to give you other forms, such as rabbits, or
+turtles or girls, or something; but your master, the
+surly Skeezer, does not wish me to. However, he has
+agreed to the plan if you will consent."
+
+"We'd like to be girls," said the silverfish.
+
+"No, no!" exclaimed Ervic.
+
+"If you promise to make us three beautiful girls,
+we will consent," said the goldfish.
+
+"No, no!" exclaimed Ervic again.
+
+"Also make us Adepts at Magic," added the bronzefish.
+
+"I don't know exactly what that means," replied Reera
+musingly, "but as no Adept at Magic is as powerful as
+Yookoohoo, I'll add that to the transformation."
+
+"We won't try to harm you, or to interfere with your
+magic in any way," promised the goldfish. "On the
+contrary, we will be your friends."
+
+"Will you agree to go away and leave me alone in my
+cottage, whenever I command you to do so?" asked Reera.
+
+"We promise that," cried the three fishes.
+
+"Don't do it! Don't consent to the transformation,"
+urged Ervic.
+
+"They have already consented," said the Yookoohoo,
+laughing in his face, "and you have promised me to
+abide by their decision. So, friend Skeezer, I shall
+perform the transformation whether you like it or not."
+
+Ervic seated himself on the bench again, a deep scowl
+on his face but joy in his heart. Reera moved over to
+the cupboard, took something from the drawer and
+returned to the copper kettle. She was clutching
+something tightly in her right hand, but with her left
+she reached within the kettle, took out the three
+fishes and laid them carefully on the floor, where they
+gasped in distress at being out of water.
+
+Reera did not keep them in misery more than a few
+seconds, for she touched each one with her right hand
+and instantly the fishes were transformed into three
+tall and slender young women, with fine, intelligent
+faces and clothed in handsome, clinging gowns. The one
+who had been a goldfish had beautiful golden hair and
+blue eyes and was exceedingly fair of skin; the one who
+had been a bronzefish had dark brown hair and clear
+gray eyes and her complexion matched these lovely
+features. The one who had been a silverfish had snow-
+white hair of the finest texture and deep brown eyes.
+The hair contrasted exquisitely with her pink cheeks
+and ruby-red lips, nor did it make her look a day older
+than her two companions.
+
+As soon as they secured these girlish shapes, all
+three bowed low to the Yookoohoo and said:
+
+"We thank you, Reera."
+
+Then they bowed to the Skeezer and said:
+
+"We thank you, Ervic."
+
+"Very good!" cried the Yookoohoo, examining her work
+with critical approval. "You are much better and more
+interesting than fishes, and this ungracious Skeezer
+would scarcely allow me to do the transformations. You
+surely have nothing to thank him for. But now let us
+dine in honor of the occasion."
+
+She clapped her hands together and again a table
+loaded with food appeared in the cottage. It was a
+longer table, this time, and places were set for the
+three Adepts as well as for Reera and Ervic.
+
+"Sit down, friends, and eat your fill," said the
+Yookoohoo, but instead of seating herself at the head
+of the table she went to the cupboard, saying to the
+Adepts: "Your beauty and grace, my fair friends, quite
+outshine my own. So that I may appear properly at the
+banquet table I intend, in honor of this occasion, to
+take upon myself my natural shape."
+
+Scarcely had she finished this speech when Reera
+transformed herself into a young woman fully as lovely
+as the three Adepts. She was not quite so tall as they,
+but her form was more rounded and more handsomely
+clothed, with a wonderful jeweled girdle and a necklace
+of shining pearls. Her hair was a bright auburn red,
+and her eyes large and dark.
+
+"Do you claim this is your natural form?" asked Ervic
+of the Yookoohoo.
+
+"Yes," she replied. "This is the only form I am
+really entitled to wear. But I seldom assume it because
+there is no one here to admire or appreciate it and I
+get tired admiring it myself."
+
+"I see now why you are named Reera the Red," remarked
+Ervic.
+
+"It is on account of my red hair," she explained
+smiling. "I do not care for red hair myself, which is
+one reason I usually wear other forms."
+
+"It is beautiful," asserted the young man; and then
+remembering the other women present he added: "But, of
+course, all women should not have red hair, because
+that would make it too common. Gold and silver and
+brown hair are equally handsome."
+
+The smiles that he saw interchanged between the four
+filled the poor Skeezer with embarrassment, so he fell
+silent and attended to eating his supper, leaving the
+others to do the talking. The three Adepts frankly told
+Reera who they were. how they became fishes and how
+they had planned secretly to induce the Yookoohoo to
+transform them. They admitted that they had feared, had
+they asked her to help, that she would have refused
+them.
+
+"You were quite right," returned the Yookoohoo. "I
+make it my rule never to perform magic to assist
+others, for if I did there would always be crowd at my
+cottage demanding help and I hate crowds and want to be
+left alone."
+
+"However, now that you are restored to your proper
+shapes, I do not regret my action and I hope you will
+be of use in saving the Skeezer people by raising their
+island to the surface of the lake, where it really
+belongs. But you must promise me that after you go away
+you will never come here again, nor tell anyone what I
+have done for you."
+
+The three Adepts and Ervic thanked the Yookoohoo
+warmly. They promised to remember her wish that they
+should not come to her cottage again and so, with a
+good-bye, took their departure.
+
+
+
+
+Chapter Twenty
+
+A Puzzling Problem
+
+
+
+Glinda the Good, having decided to try her sorcery
+upon the abandoned submarine, so that it would obey her
+commands, asked all of her party, including the
+Skeezers, to withdraw from the shore of the take to the
+line of palm trees. She kept with her only the little
+Wizard of Oz, who was her pupil and knew how to assist
+her in her magic rites. When they two were alone beside
+the stranded boat, Glinda said to the Wizard:
+
+"I shall first try my magic recipe No. 1163, which is
+intended to make inanimate objects move at my command.
+Have you a skeropythrope with you?"
+
+"Yes, I always carry one in my bag," replied the
+Wizard. He opened his black bag of magic tools and took
+out a brightly polished skeropythrope, which he handed
+to the Sorceress. Glinda had also brought a small
+wicker bag, containing various requirements of sorcery,
+and from this she took a parcel of powder and a vial of
+liquid. She poured the liquid into the skeropythrope
+and added the powder. At once the skeropythrope began
+to sputter and emit sparks of a violet color, which
+spread in all directions. The Sorceress instantly
+stepped into the middle of the boat and held the
+instrument so that the sparks fell all around her and
+covered every bit of the blackened steel boat. At the
+same time Glinda crooned a weird incantation in the
+language of sorcery, her voice sounding low and
+musical.
+
+After a little the violet sparks ceased, and those
+that had fallen upon the boat had disappeared and left
+no mark upon its surface. The ceremony was ended and
+Glinda returned the skeropythrope to the Wizard, who
+put it away in his black bag.
+
+"That ought to do the business all right," he said
+confidently
+
+"Let us make a trial and see," she replied.
+
+So they both entered the boat and seated themselves.
+
+Speaking in a tone of command the Sorceress said to
+the boat: "Carry us across the lake, to the farther
+shore."
+
+At once the boat backed off the sandy beach, turned
+its prow and moved swiftly over the water.
+
+"Very good -- very good indeed!" cried the Wizard,
+when the boat slowed up at the shore opposite from that
+whence they had departed. "Even Coo-ee-oh, with all
+her witchcraft, could do no better."
+
+The Sorceress now said to the boat:
+
+"Close up, submerge and carry us to the basement door
+of the sunken island -- the door from which you emerged
+at the command of Queen Coo-ee-oh."
+
+The boat obeyed. As it sank into the water the top
+sections rose from the sides and joined together over
+the heads of Glinda and the Wizard, who were thus
+enclosed in a water-proof chamber. There were four
+glass windows in this covering, one on each side and
+one on either end, so that the passengers could see
+exactly where they were going. Moving under water more
+slowly than on the surface, the submarine gradually
+approached the island and halted with its bow pressed
+against the huge marble door in the basement under the
+Dome. This door was tightly closed and it was evident
+to both Glinda and the Wizard that it would not open to
+admit the underwater boat unless a magic word was
+spoken by them or someone from within the basement of
+the island. But what was this magic word?  Neither of
+them knew.
+
+"I'm afraid," said the Wizard regretfully, "that we
+can't get in, after all. Unless your sorcery can
+discover the word to open the marble door."
+
+"That is probably some word only known to Coo-ce-oh,"
+replied the Sorceress. "I may be able to discover what
+it is, but that will require time. Let us go back
+again to our companions."
+
+"It seems a shame, after we have made the boat obey
+us, to be balked by just a marble door," grumbled the
+Wizard.
+
+At Glinda's command the boat rose until it was on a
+level with the glass dome that covered the Skeezer
+village, when the Sorceress made it slowly circle all
+around the Great Dome.
+
+Many faces were pressed against the glass from the
+inside, eagerly watching the submarine, and in one
+place were Dorothy and Ozma, who quickly recognized
+Glinda and the Wizard through the glass windows of the
+boat. Glinda saw them, too, and held the boat close to
+the Dome while the friends exchanged greetings in
+pantomime. Their voices, unfortunately, could not be
+heard through the Dome and the water and the side of
+the boat. The Wizard tried to make the girls
+understand, through signs, that he and Glinda had come
+to their rescue, and Ozma and Dorothy understood this
+from the very fact that the Sorceress and the Wizard
+had appeared. The two girl prisoners were smiling and
+in safety, and knowing this Glinda felt she could take
+all the time necessary in order to effect their final
+rescue.
+
+As nothing more could be done just then, Glinda
+ordered the boat to return to shore and it obeyed
+readily. First it ascended to the surface of the water,
+then the roof parted and fell into the slots at the
+side of the boat, and then the magic craft quickly made
+the shore and beached itself on the sands at the very
+spot from which it had departed at Glinda's command.
+All the Oz people and the Skeezers at once ran to the
+boat to ask if they had reached the island, and whether
+they had seen Ozma and Dorothy. The Wizard told them of
+the obstacle they had met in the way of a marble door,
+and how Glinda would now undertake to find a magic way
+to conquer the door.
+
+Realizing that it would require several days to
+succeed in reaching the island raising it and
+liberating their friends and the Skeezer people, Glinda
+now prepared a camp half way between the lake shore and
+the palm trees.
+
+The Wizard's wizardry made a number of tents appear
+and the sorcery of the Sorceress furnished these tents
+all complete, with beds, chairs, tables, flags, lamps
+and even books with which to pass idle hours. All the
+tents had the Royal Banner of Oz flying from the
+centerpoles and one big tent, not now occupied, had
+Ozma's own banner moving in the breeze.
+
+Betsy and Trot had a tent to themselves, and Button
+Bright and Ojo had another. The Scarecrow and the Tin
+Woodman paired together in one tent and so did Jack
+Pumpkinhead and the Shaggy Man, Cap'n Bill and Uncle
+Henry, Tik-Tok and Professor Wogglebug. Glinda had the
+most splendid tent of all, except that reserved for
+Ozma, while the Wizard had a little one of his own.
+Whenever it was meal time, tables loaded with food
+magically appeared in the tents of those who were in
+the habit of eating, and these complete arrangements
+made the rescue party just comfortable as they would
+have been in their own homes.
+
+Far into the night Glinda sat in her tent studying a
+roll of mystic scrolls in search of a word that would
+open the basement door of the island and admit her to
+the Great Dome. She also made many magical experiments,
+hoping to discover something that would aid her. Yet
+the morning found the powerful Sorceress still
+unsuccessful.
+
+Glinda's art could have opened any ordinary door, you
+may be sure, but you must realize that this marble door
+of the island had been commanded not to open save in
+obedience to one magic word, and therefore all other
+magic words could have no effect upon it. The magic
+word that guarded the door had probably been invented
+by Coo-ee-oh, who had now forgotten it. The only way,
+then, to gain entrance to the sunken island was to
+break the charm that held the door fast shut. If this
+could be done no magic would be required to open it.
+
+The next day the Sorceress and the Wizard again
+entered the boat and made it submerge and go to the
+marble door, which they tried in various ways to open,
+but without success.
+
+"We shall have to abandon this attempt, I think,"
+said Glinda. "The easiest way to raise the island would
+be for us to gain admittance to the Dome and then
+descend to the basement and see in what manner
+Coo-ee-oh made the entire island sink or rise at her
+command. It naturally occurred to me that the easiest
+way to gain admittance would be by having the boat take
+us into the basement through the marble door from which
+Coo-ee-oh launched it. But there must be other ways to
+get inside the Dome and join Ozma and Dorothy, and such
+ways we must find by study and the proper use of our
+powers of magic."
+
+"It won't be easy," declared the Wizard, "for we must
+not forget that Ozma herself understands considerable
+magic, and has doubtless tried to raise the island or
+find other means of escape from it and failed."
+
+"That is true," returned Glinda, "but Ozma's magic is
+fairy magic, while you are a Wizard and I am a
+Sorceress. In this way the three of us have a great
+variety of magic to work with, and if we should all
+fail it will be because the island is raised and
+lowered by a magic power none of us is acquainted with.
+My idea therefore is to seek -- by such magic as we
+possess -- to accomplish our object in another way."
+
+They made the circle of the Dome again in their boat,
+and once more saw Ozma and Dorothy through their
+windows and exchanged signals with the two imprisoned
+girls.
+
+Ozma realized that her friends were doing all in
+their power to rescue her and smiled an encouragement
+to their efforts. Dorothy seemed a little anxious but
+was trying to be as brave as her companion.
+
+After the boat had returned to the camp and Glinda
+was seated in her tent, working out various ways by
+which Ozma and Dorothy could be rescued, the Wizard
+stood on the shore dreamily eying the outlines of the
+Great Dome which showed beneath the clear water, when
+he raised his eyes and saw a group of strange people
+approaching from around the lake. Three were young
+women of stately presence, very beautifully dressed,
+who moved with remarkable grace. They were followed at
+a little distance by a good-looking young Skeezer.
+
+The Wizard saw at a glance that these people might be
+very important, so he advanced to meet them. The three
+maidens received him graciously and the one with the
+golden hair said:
+
+"I believe you are the famous Wizard of Oz, of whom I
+have often heard. We are seeking Glinda, the Sorceress,
+and perhaps you can lead us to her."
+
+"I can, and will, right gladly," answered the Wizard.
+"Follow me, please."
+
+The little Wizard was puzzled as to the identity of
+the three lovely visitors but he gave no sign that
+might embarrass them.
+
+He understood they did not wish to be questioned, and
+so he made no remarks as he led the way to Glinda's
+tent.
+
+With a courtly bow the Wizard ushered the three
+visitors into the gracious presence of Glinda, the
+Good.
+
+
+
+
+Chapter Twenty-One
+
+The Three Adepts
+
+
+
+The Sorceress looked up from her work as the three
+maidens entered, and something in their appearance and
+manner led her to rise and bow to them in her most
+dignified manner. The three knelt an instant before the
+great Sorceress and then stood upright and waited for
+her to speak.
+
+"Whoever you may be," said Glinda, "I bid you
+welcome."
+
+"My name is Audah," said one.
+
+"My name is Aurah," said another.
+
+"My name is Aujah," said the third.
+
+Glinda had never heard these names before, but
+looking closely at the three she asked:
+
+"Are you witches or workers in magic?"
+
+"Some of the secret arts we have gleaned from
+Nature," replied the brownhaired maiden modestly, "but
+we do not place our skill beside that of the Great
+Sorceress, Glinda the Good."
+
+"I suppose you are aware it is unlawful to practice
+magic in the Land of Oz, without the permission of our
+Ruler, Princess Ozma?"
+
+"No, we were not aware of that," was the reply.  "We
+have heard of Ozma, who is the appointed Ruler of all
+this great fairyland, but her laws have not reached us,
+as yet."
+
+Glinda studied the strange maidens thoughtfully; then
+she said to them:
+
+"Princess Ozma is even now imprisoned in the Skeezer
+village. for the whole island with its Great Dome, was
+sunk to the bottom of the lake by the witchcraft of
+Coo-ee-oh, whom the Flathead Su-dic transformed into a
+silly swan. I am seeking some way to overcome
+Coo-ee-oh's magic and raise the isle to the surface
+again. Can you help me do this?"
+
+The maidens exchanged glances, and the white-haired
+one replied
+
+"We do not know; but we will try to assist you."
+
+"It seems," continued Glinda musingly, "that
+Coo-ee-oh derived most of her witchcraft from three
+Adepts at Magic, who at one time ruled the Flatheads.
+While the Adepts were being entertained by Coo-ee-oh at
+a banquet in her palace, she cruelly betrayed them and
+after transforming them into fishes cast them into the
+lake.
+
+"If I could find these three fishes and return them
+to their natural shapes -- they might know what magic
+Coo-ee-oh used to sink the island. I was about to go to
+the shore and call these fishes to me when you arrived.
+So, if you will join me, we will try to find them."
+
+The maidens exchanged smiles now, and the golden-
+haired one, Audah, said to Glinda:
+
+"It will not be necessary to go to the lake. We are
+the three fishes."
+
+"Indeed!" cried Glinda. "Then you are the three
+Adepts at Magic, restored to your proper forms?"
+
+"We are the three Adepts," admitted Aujah.
+
+"Then," said Glinda, "my task is half accomplished.
+But who destroyed the transformation that made you
+fishes?"
+
+"We have promised not to tell," answered Aurah; "but
+this young Skeezer was largely responsible for our
+release; he is brave and clever, and we owe him our
+gratitude."
+
+Glinda looked at Ervic, who stood modestly behind the
+Adepts, hat in hand. "He shall be properly rewarded,"
+she declared, "for in helping you he has helped us all,
+and perhaps saved his people from being imprisoned
+forever in the sunken isle."
+
+The Sorceress now asked her guests to seat themselves
+and a long talk followed, in which the Wizard of Oz
+shared.
+
+"We are quite certain," said Aurah, "that if we could
+get inside the Dome we could discover Coo-ee-oh's
+secrets, for in all her work, after we became fishes,
+she used the formulas and incantations and arts that
+she stole from us. She may have added to these things,
+but they were the foundation of all her work."
+
+"What means do you suggest for our getting into the
+Dome?" inquired Glinda.
+
+The three Adepts hesitated to reply, for they had not
+yet considered what could be done to reach the inside
+of the Great Dome. While they were in deep thought, and
+Glinda and the Wizard were quietly awaiting their
+suggestions, into the tent rushed Trot and Betsy,
+dragging between them the Patchwork Girl.
+
+"Oh, Glinda," cried Trot, "Scraps has thought of a
+way to rescue Ozma and Dorothy and all of the
+Skeezers."
+
+The three Adepts could not avoid laughing merrily,
+for not only were they amused by the queer form of the
+Patchwork Girl, but Trot's enthusiastic speech struck
+them as really funny. If the Great Sorceress and the
+famous Wizard and the three talented Adepts at Magic
+were unable as yet to solve the important problem of
+the sunken isle, there was little chance for a patched
+girl stuffed with cotton to succeed.
+
+But Glinda, smiling indulgently at the earnest faces
+turned toward her, patted the children's heads and
+said:
+
+"Scraps is very clever. Tell us what she has thought
+of, my dear."
+
+"Well," said Trot, "Scraps says that if you could dry
+up all the water in the lake the island would be on dry
+land, an' everyone could come and go whenever they
+liked."
+
+Glinda smiled again, but the Wizard said to the
+girls:
+
+"If we should dry up the lake, what would become of
+all the beautiful fishes that now live in the water?"
+
+"Dear me! That's so," admitted Betsy, crestfallen; "we
+never thought of that, did we Trot?"
+
+"Couldn't you transform 'em into polliwogs?" asked
+Scraps, turning a somersault and then standing on one
+leg. "You could give them a little, teeny pond to swim
+in, and they'd be just as happy as they are as fishes."
+
+"No indeed!" replied the Wizard, severely. "It is
+wicked to transform any living creatures without their
+consent, and the lake is the home of the fishes and
+belongs to them."
+
+"All right," said Scraps, making a face at him; "I
+don't care."
+
+"It's too bad," sighed Trot, "for I thought we'd
+struck a splendid idea."
+
+"So you did," declared Glinda, her face now grave and
+thoughtful. "There is something in the Patchwork Girl's
+idea that may be of real value to us."
+
+"I think so, too," agreed the golden-haired Adept.
+"The top of the Great Dome is only a few feet below the
+surface of the water. If we could reduce the level of
+the lake until the Dome sticks a little above the
+water, we could remove some of the glass and let
+ourselves down into the village by means of ropes."
+
+"And there would be plenty of water left for the
+fishes to swim in," added the white-haired maiden.
+
+"If we succeed in raising the island we could fill up
+the lake again," suggested the brown-haired Adept.
+
+"I believe," said the Wizard, rubbing his hands
+together in delight, "that the Patchwork Girl has shown
+us the way to success."
+
+The girls were looking curiously at the three
+beautiful Adepts, wondering who they were, so Glinda
+introduced them to Trot and Betsy and Scraps, and then
+sent the children away while she considered how to
+carry the new idea into effect.
+
+Not much could be done that night, so the Wizard
+prepared another tent for the Adepts, and in the
+evening Glinda held a reception and invited all her
+followers to meet the new arrivals. The Adepts were
+greatly astonished at the extraordinary personages
+presented to them, and marveled that Jack Pumpkinhead
+and the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman and Tik-Tok could
+really live and think and talk just like other people.
+They were especially pleased with the lively Patchwork
+Girl and loved to watch her antics.
+
+It was quite a pleasant party, for Glinda served some
+dainty refreshments to those who could eat, and the
+Scarecrow recited some poems, and the Cowardly Lion
+sang a song in his deep bass voice. The only thing
+that marred their joy was the thought that their
+beloved Ozma and dear little Dorothy were yet confined
+in the Great Dome of the Sunken island.
+
+
+
+
+Chapter Twenty-Two
+
+The Sunken Island
+
+
+
+As soon as they had breakfasted the next morning,
+Glinda and the Wizard and the three Adepts went down to
+the shore of the lake and formed a line with their
+faces toward the submerged island. All the others came
+to watch them, but stood at a respectful distance in
+the background.
+
+At the right of the Sorceress stood Audah and Aurah,
+while at the left stood the Wizard and Aujah. Together
+they stretched their arms over the water's edge and in
+unison the five chanted a rhythmic incantation.
+
+This chant they repeated again and again, swaying
+their arms gently from side to side, and in a few
+minutes the watchers behind them noticed that the lake
+had begun to recede from the shore. Before long the
+highest point of the dome appeared above the water.
+Gradually the water fell, making the dome appear to
+rise. When it was three or four feet above the surface
+Glinda gave the signal to stop, for their work had been
+accomplished.
+
+The blackened submarine was now entirely out of
+water, but Uncle Henry and Cap'n Bill managed to push
+it into the lake. Glinda, the Wizard, Ervic and the
+Adepts got into the boat, taking with them a coil of
+strong rope, and at the command of the Sorceress the
+craft cleaved its way through the water toward the part
+of the Dome which was now visible.
+
+"There's still plenty of water for the fish to swim
+in," observed the Wizard as they rode along. "They
+might like more but I'm sure they can get along until
+we have raised the island and can fill up the lake
+again."
+
+The boat touched gently on the sloping glass of the
+Dome, and the Wizard took some tools from his black bag
+and quickly removed one large pane of glass, thus
+making a hole large enough for their bodies to pass
+through. Stout frames of steel supported the glass of
+the Dome, and around one of these frames the Wizard
+tied the end of a rope.
+
+"I'll go down first," said he, "for while I'm not as
+spry as Cap'n Bill I'm sure I can manage it easily.  Are
+you sure the rope is long enough to reach the bottom?"
+
+"Quite sure," replied the Sorceress.
+
+So the Wizard let down the rope and climbing through
+the opening lowered himself down, hand over hand,
+clinging to the rope with his legs and feet. Below in
+the streets of the village were gathered all the
+Skeezers, men, women and children, and you may be sure
+that Ozma and Dorothy, with Lady Aurex, were filled
+with joy that their friends were at last coming to
+their rescue.
+
+The Queen's palace, now occupied by Ozma, was
+directly in the center of the Dome, so that when the
+rope was let down the end of it came just in front of
+the palace entrance. Several Skeezers held fast to the
+rope's end to steady it and the Wizard reached the
+ground in safety. He hugged first Ozma and then
+Dorothy, while all the Skeezers cheered as loud as they
+could.
+
+The Wizard now discovered that the rope was long
+enough to reach from the top of the Dome to the ground
+when doubled, so he tied a chair to one end of the rope
+and called to Glinda to sit in the chair while he and
+some of the Skeezers lowered her to the pavement. In
+this way the Sorceress reached the ground quite
+comfortably and the three Adepts and Ervic soon
+followed her.
+
+The Skeezers quickly recognized the three Adepts at
+Magic, whom they had learned to respect before their
+wicked Queen betrayed them, and welcomed them as
+friends. All the inhabitants of the village had been
+greatly frightened by their imprisonment under water,
+but now realized that an attempt was to be made to
+rescue them.
+
+Glinda, the Wizard and the Adepts followed Ozma and
+Dorothy into the palace, and they asked Lady Aurex and
+Ervic to join them. After Ozma had told of her
+adventures in trying to prevent war between the
+Flatheads and the Skeezers, and Glinda had told all
+about the Rescue Expedition and the restoration of the
+three Adepts by the help of Ervic, a serious
+consultation was held as to how the island could be
+made to rise.
+
+"I've tried every way in my power," said Ozma, "but
+Coo-ee-oh used a very unusual sort of magic which I do
+not understand. She seems to have prepared her
+witchcraft in such a way that a spoken word is
+necessary to accomplish her designs, and these spoken
+words are known only to herself."
+
+"That is a method we taught her," declared Aurah the
+Adept.
+
+"I can do no more, Glinda," continued Ozma, "so I
+wish you would try what your sorcery can accomplish."
+
+"First, then," said Glinda, "let us visit the
+basement of the island, which I am told is underneath
+the village."
+
+A flight of marble stairs led from one of Coo-ee-oh's
+private rooms down to the basement, but when the party
+arrived all were puzzled by what they saw. In the
+center of a broad, low room, stood a mass of great cog-
+wheels, chains and pulleys, all interlocked and seeming
+to form a huge machine; but there was no engine or
+other motive power to make the wheels turn.
+
+"This, I suppose, is the means by which the island is
+lowered or raised," said Ozma, "but the magic word
+which is needed to move the machinery is unknown to
+us."
+
+The three Adepts were carefully examining the mass of
+wheels, and soon the golden-haired one said:
+
+"These wheels do not control the island at all. On
+the contrary, one set of them is used to open the doors
+of the little rooms where the submarines are kept, as
+may be seen from the chains and pulleys used. Each boat
+is kept in a little room with two doors, one to the
+basement room where we are now and the other letting
+into the lake.
+
+"When Coo-ee-oh used the boat in which she attacked
+the Flatheads, she first commanded the basement door to
+open and with her followers she got into the boat and
+made the top close over them. Then the basement door
+being closed, the outer door was slowly opened, letting
+the water fill the room to float the boat, which then
+left the island, keeping under water."
+
+"But how could she expect to get back again?" asked
+the Wizard.
+
+"Why the boat would enter the room filled with water
+and after the outer door was closed a word of command
+started a pump which pumped all the water from the
+room. Then the boat would open and Coo-ee-oh could
+enter the basement."
+
+"I see," said the Wizard. "It is a clever
+contrivance, but won't work unless one knows the magic
+words."
+
+"Another part of this machinery," explained the
+white-haired Adept, "is used to extend the bridge from
+the island to the mainland. The steel bridge is in a
+room much like that in which the boats are kept, and at
+Coo-ce-oh's command it would reach out, joint by joint,
+until its far end touched the shore of the lake. The
+same magic command would make the bridge return to its
+former position. Of course the bridge could not be used
+unless the island was on the surface of the water."
+
+"But how do you suppose Coo-ee-oh managed to sink the
+island, and make it rise again?" inquired Glinda.
+
+This the Adepts could not yet explain. As nothing
+more could be learned from the basement they mounted
+the steps to the Queen's private suite again, and Ozma
+showed them to a special room where Coo-ee-oh kept her
+magical instruments and performed all her arts of
+witchcraft.
+
+
+
+
+Chapter Twenty-Three
+
+The Magic Words
+
+
+
+Many interesting things were to be seen in the Room
+of Magic, including much that had been stolen from the
+Adepts when they were transformed to fishes, but they
+had to admit that Coo-ee-oh had a rare genius for
+mechanics, and had used her knowledge in inventing a
+lot of mechanical apparatus that ordinary witches,
+wizards and sorcerers could not understand.
+
+They all carefully inspected this room, taking care
+to examine every article they came across.
+
+"The island," said Glinda thoughtfully, "rests on a
+base of solid marble. When it is submerged, as it is
+now, the base of the island is upon the bottom of the
+lake. What puzzles me is how such a great weight can be
+lifted and suspended in the water, even by magic."
+
+"I now remember," returned Aujah, "that one of the
+arts we taught Coo-ee-oh was the way to expand steel,
+and I think that explains how the island is raised and
+lowered. I noticed in the basement a big steel pillar
+that passed through the floor and extended upward to
+this palace. Perhaps the end of it is concealed in this
+very room. If the lower end of the steel pillar is
+firmly embedded in the bottom of the lake, Coo-ee-oh
+could utter a magic word that would make the pillar
+expand, and so lift the entire island to the level of
+the water."
+
+"I've found the end of the steel pillar. It's just
+here," announced the Wizard, pointing to one side of
+the room where a great basin of polished steel seemed
+to have been set upon the floor.
+
+They all gathered around, and Ozma said:
+
+"Yes, I am quite sure that is the upper end of the
+pillar that supports the island. I noticed it when I
+first came here. It has been hollowed out, you see, and
+something has been burned in the basin, for the fire
+has left its marks. I wondered what was under the great
+basin and got several of the Skeezers to come up here
+and try to lift it for me. They were strong men, but
+could not move it at all."
+
+"It seems to me," said Audah the Adept, "that we have
+discovered the manner in which Coo-ee-oh raised the
+island. She would burn some sort of magic powder in the
+basin, utter the magic word, and the pillar would
+lengthen out and lift the island with it."
+
+"What's this?" asked Dorothy, who had been searching
+around with the others, and now noticed a slight hollow
+in the wall, near to where the steel basin stood. As
+she spoke Dorothy pushed her thumb into the hollow and
+instantly a small drawer popped out from the wall.
+
+The three Adepts, Glinda and the Wizard sprang
+forward and peered into the drawer. It was half filled
+with a grayish powder, the tiny grains of which
+constantly moved as if impelled by some living force.
+
+"It may be some kind of radium," said the Wizard.
+
+"No," replied Glinda, "it is more wonderful than even
+radium, for I recognize it as a rare mineral powder
+called Gaulau by the sorcerers. I wonder how Coo-ee-oh
+discovered it and where she obtained it."
+
+"There is no doubt," said Aujah the Adept, "that this
+is the magic powder Coo-ee-oh burned in the basin. If
+only we knew the magic word, I am quite sure we could
+raise the island."
+
+"How can we discover the magic word?" asked Ozma,
+turning to Glinda as she spoke.
+
+"That we must now seriously consider," answered the
+Sorceress.
+
+So all of them sat down in the Room of Magic and
+began to think. It was so still that after a while
+Dorothy grew nervous. The little girl never could keep
+silent for long, and at the risk of displeasing her
+magic-working friends she suddenly said:
+
+"Well, Coo-ee-oh used just three magic words, one to
+make the bridge work, and one to make the submarines go
+out of their holes, and one to raise and lower the
+island. Three words. And Coo-ee-oh's name is made up of
+just three words. One is 'Coo,' and one is 'ee,' and
+one is 'oh.'
+
+The Wizard frowned but Glinda looked wonderingly at
+the young girl and Ozma cried out:
+
+"A good thought, Dorothy dear! You may have solved
+our problem."
+
+"I believe it is worth a trial," agreed Glinda. "It
+would be quite natural for Coo-ee-oh to divide her
+name into three magic syllables, and Dorothy's
+suggestion seems like an inspiration."
+
+The three Adepts also approved the trial but the
+brown-haired one said:
+
+"We must be careful not to use the wrong word, and
+send the bridge out under water. The main thing, if
+Dorothy's idea is correct, is to hit upon the one word
+that moves the island."
+
+"Let us experiment," suggested the Wizard.
+
+In the drawer with the moving gray powder was a tiny
+golden cup, which they thought was used for measuring.
+Glinda filled this cup with the powder and carefully
+poured it into the shallow basin, which was the top of
+the great steel pillar supporting the island. Then
+Aurah the Adept lighted a taper and touched it to the
+powder, which instantly glowed fiery red and tumbled
+about the basin with astonishing energy. While the
+grains of powder still glowed red the Sorceress bent
+over it and said in a voice of command: "Coo!"
+
+They waited motionless to see what would happen.
+There was a grating noise and a whirl of machinery, but
+the island did not move a particle.
+
+Dorothy rushed to the window, which overlooked
+the glass side of the dome.
+
+"The boats!" she exclaimed. "The boats are all
+loose an' sailing under water."
+
+"We've made a mistake," said the Wizard gloomily.
+
+"But it's one which shows we are on the right track,"
+declared Aujah the Adept. "We know now that Coo-ee-oh
+used the syllables of her name for the magic words."
+
+"If 'Coo' sends out the boats, it is probable that
+ee' works the bridge," suggested Ozma. "So the last
+part of the name may raise the island."
+
+"Let us try that next then," proposed the Wizard.
+
+He scraped the embers of the burned powder out of the
+basin and Glinda again filled the golden cup from the
+drawer and placed it on top the steel pillar. Aurah
+lighted it with her taper and Ozma bent over the basin
+and murmured the long drawn syllable: "Oh-h-h!"
+
+Instantly the island trembled and with a weird
+groaning noise it moved upward -- slowly, very slowly,
+but with a steady motion, while all the company stood
+by in awed silence. It was a wonderful thing, even to
+those skilled in the arts of magic, wizardry and
+sorcery, to realize that a single word could raise that
+great, heavy island, with its immense glass Dome.
+
+"Why, we're way above the lake now!" exclaimed
+Dorothy from the window, when at last the island ceased
+to move.
+
+"That is because we lowered the level of the water,"
+explained Glinda.
+
+They could hear the Skeezers cheering lustily in the
+streets of the village as they realized that they were
+saved.
+
+"Come," said Ozma eagerly, "let us go down and join
+the people."
+
+"Not just yet," returned Glinda, a happy smile upon
+her lovely face, for she was overjoyed at their
+success. "First let us extend the bridge to the
+mainland, where our friends from the Emerald City are
+waiting."
+
+It didn't take long to put more powder in the basin,
+light it and utter the syllable "EE!" The result was
+that a door in the basement opened and the steel bridge
+moved out, extended itself joint by joint, and finally
+rested its far end on the shore of the lake just in
+front of the encampment.
+
+"Now," said Glinda, "we can go up and receive the
+congratulations of the Skeezers and of our friends of
+the Rescue Expedition."
+
+Across the water, on the shore of the lake, the
+Patchwork Girl was waving them a welcome.
+
+
+
+
+Chapter Twenty-Four
+
+Glinda's Triumph
+
+
+
+Of course all those who had joined Glinda's
+expedition at once crossed the bridge to the island,
+where they were warmly welcomed by the Skeezers. Before
+all the concourse of people Princess Ozma made a speech
+from a porch of the palace and demanded that they
+recognize her as their lawful Ruler and promise to obey
+the laws of the Land of Oz. In return she agreed to
+protect them from all future harm and declared they
+would no longer be subjected to cruelty and abuse.
+
+This pleased the Skeezers greatly, and when Ozma told
+them they might elect a Queen to rule over them, who in
+turn would be subject to Ozma of Oz, they voted for
+Lady Aurex, and that same day the ceremony of crowning
+the new Queen was held and Aurex was installed as
+mistress of the palace.
+
+For her Prime Minister the Queen selected Ervic, for
+the three Adepts had told of his good judgment,
+faithfulness and cleverness, and all the Skeezers
+approved the appointment.
+
+Glinda, the Wizard and the Adepts stood on the bridge
+and recited an incantation that quite filled the lake
+with water again, and the Scarecrow and the Patchwork
+Girl climbed to the top of the Great Dome and replaced
+the pane of glass that had been removed to allow Glinda
+and her followers to enter.
+
+When evening came Ozma ordered a great feast
+prepared, to which every Skeezer was invited. The
+village was beautifully decorated and brilliantly
+lighted and there was music and dancing until a late
+hour to celebrate the liberation of the people. For the
+Skeezers had been freed, not only from the water of the
+lake but from the cruelty of their former Queen.
+
+As the people from the Emerald City prepared the next
+morning to depart Queen Aurex said to Ozma:
+
+"There is only one thing I now fear for my people,
+and that is the enmity of the terrible Su-dic of the
+Flatheads. He is liable to come here at any time and
+try to annoy us, and my Skeezers are peaceful folks and
+unable to fight the wild and wilful Flatheads."
+
+"Do not worry," returned Ozma, reassuringly. "We
+intend to stop on our way at the Flatheads' Enchanted
+Mountain and punish the Su-dic for his misdeeds."
+
+That satisfied Aurex and when Ozma and her followers
+trooped over the bridge to the shore, having taken
+leave of their friends, all the Skeezers cheered them
+and waved their hats and handkerchiefs, and the band
+played and the departure was indeed a ceremony long to
+be remembered.
+
+The three Adepts at Magic, who had formerly ruled the
+Flatheads wisely and considerately, went with Princess
+Ozma and her people, for they had promised Ozma to stay
+on the mountain and again see that the laws were
+enforced.
+
+Glinda had been told all about the curious Flatheads
+and she had consulted with the Wizard and formed a plan
+to render them more intelligent and agreeable.
+
+When the party reached the mountain Ozma and Dorothy
+showed them how to pass around the invisible wall --
+which had been built by the Flatheads after the Adepts
+were transformed -- and how to gain the up-and-down
+stairway that led to the mountain top.
+
+The Su-dic had watched the approach of the party from
+the edge of the mountain and was frightened when he saw
+that the three Adepts had recovered their natural forms
+and were coming back to their former home. He realized
+that his power would soon be gone and yet he determined
+to fight to the last. He called all the Flatheads
+together and armed them, and told them to arrest all
+who came up the stairway and hurl them over the edge of
+the mountain to the plain below. But although they
+feared the Supreme Dictator, who had threatened to
+punish them if they did not obey his commands, as soon
+as they saw the three Adepts they threw down their arms
+and begged their former rulers to protect them.
+
+The three Adepts assured the excited Flatheads that
+they had nothing to fear.
+
+Seeing that his people had rebelled the Su-dic ran
+away and tried to hide, but the Adepts found him and
+had him cast into a prison, all his cans of brains
+being taken away from him.
+
+After this easy conquest of the Su-dic, Glinda told
+the Adepts of her plan, which had already been approved
+by Ozma of Oz, and they joyfully agreed to it. So,
+during the next few days, the great Sorceress
+transformed, in a way, every Flathead on the mountain.
+
+Taking them one at a time, she had the can of brains
+that belonged to each one opened and the contents
+spread on the flat head, after which, by means of her
+arts of sorcery, she caused the head to grow over the
+brains -- in the manner most people wear them -- and
+they were thus rendered as intelligent and good looking
+as any of the other inhabitants of the Land of Oz.
+
+When all had been treated in this manner there were
+no more Flatheads at all, and the Adepts decided to
+name their people Mountaineers. One good result of
+Glinda's sorcery was that no one could now be deprived
+of the brains that belonged to him and each person had
+exactly the share he was entitled to.
+
+Even the Su-dic was given his portion of brains and
+his flat head made round, like the others, but he was
+deprived of all power to work further mischief, and
+with the Adepts constantly watching him he would be
+forced to become obedient and humble.
+
+The Golden Pig, which ran grunting about the streets,
+with no brains at all, was disenchanted by Glinda, and
+in her woman's form was given brains and a round head.
+This wife of the Su-dic had once been even more wicked
+than her evil husband, but she had now forgotten all
+her wickedness and was likely to be a good woman
+thereafter.
+
+These things being accomplished in a satisfactory
+manner, Princess Ozma and her people bade farewell to
+the three Adepts and departed for the Emerald City,
+well pleased with their interesting adventures.
+
+They returned by the road over which Ozma and Dorothy
+had come, stopping to get the Sawhorse and the Red
+Wagon where they had left them.
+
+"I'm very glad I went to see these peoples," said
+Princess Ozma, "for I not only prevented any further
+warfare between them, but they have been freed from the
+rule of the Su-dic and Coo-ee-oh and are now happy and
+loyal subjects of the Land of Oz. Which proves that it
+is always wise to do one's duty, however unpleasant
+that duty may seem to be."
+
+
+
+
+
+
+The Wonderful Oz Books by L. Frank Baum:
+
+The Wizard of Oz
+The Land of Oz
+Ozma of Oz
+Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz
+The Road to Oz
+The Emerald city of Oz
+The Patchwork Girl of Oz
+Tik-Tok of Oz
+The Scarecrow of Oz
+Rinkitink in Oz
+The Lost Princess of Oz
+The Tin Woodman of Oz
+The Magic of Oz
+Glinda of Oz
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Etext of Glinda of Oz, by L. Frank Baum
+
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+<pre>
+**Project Gutenberg's Etext of Glinda of Oz, by L. Frank Baum**
+#14 in the L. Frank Baum's Wonderful World Of Oz Series
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+Glinda of Oz
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+by L. Frank Baum
+
+July, 1997  [Etext #961]
+
+
+**Project Gutenberg's Etext of Glinda of Oz, by L. Frank Baum**
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+</pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<h1>GLINDA OF OZ</h1>
+
+<p class="center">In which are related the Exciting Experiences of Princess<br />
+   Ozma of Oz, and Dorothy, in their hazardous journey<br />
+      to the home of the Flatheads, and to the Magic<br />
+         Isle of the Skeezers, and how they were<br />
+              rescued from dire peril by the<br />
+                  sorcery of Glinda the<br />
+                           Good</p>
+
+<h3>by L. FRANK BAUM</h3>
+<p class="center">&quot;Royal Historian of Oz&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<p class="center">This Book<br />
+is Dedicated to<br />
+My Son<br />
+Robert Stanton Baum</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h3>CONTENTS</h3>
+
+<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="6" border="0">
+<tr>
+	<td align="right">CHAPTER</td>
+	<td>&nbsp;</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+	<td align="right">I</td>
+	<td><a href="#CH1">The Call of Duty</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+	<td align="right">II</td>
+	<td><a href="#CH2">Ozma and Dorothy</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+	<td align="right">III</td>
+	<td><a href="#CH3">The Mist Maidens</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+	<td align="right">IV</td>
+	<td><a href="#CH4">The Magic Tent</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+	<td align="right">V</td>
+	<td><a href="#CH5">The Magic Stairway</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+	<td align="right">VI</td>
+	<td><a href="#CH6">Flathead Mountain</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+	<td align="right">VII</td>
+	<td><a href="#CH7">The Magic Isle</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+	<td align="right">VIII</td>
+	<td><a href="#CH8">Queen Coo-ee-oh</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+	<td align="right">IX</td>
+	<td><a href="#CH9">Lady Aurex</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+	<td align="right">X</td>
+	<td><a href="#CH10">Under Water</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+	<td align="right">XI</td>
+	<td><a href="#CH11">The Conquest of the Skeezers</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+	<td align="right">XII</td>
+	<td><a href="#CH12">The Diamond Swan</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+	<td align="right">XIII</td>
+	<td><a href="#CH13">The Alarm Bell</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+	<td align="right">XIV</td>
+	<td><a href="#CH14">Ozma's Counsellors</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+	<td align="right">XV</td>
+	<td><a href="#CH15">The Great Sorceress</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+	<td align="right">XVI</td>
+	<td><a href="#CH16">The Enchanted Fishes</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+	<td align="right">XVII</td>
+	<td><a href="#CH17">Under the Great Dome</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+	<td align="right">XVIII</td>
+	<td><a href="#CH18">The Cleverness of Ervic</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+	<td align="right">XIX</td>
+	<td><a href="#CH19">Red Reera, the Yookoohoo</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+	<td align="right">XX</td>
+	<td><a href="#CH20">A Puzzling Problem</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+	<td align="right">XXI</td>
+	<td><a href="#CH21">The Three Adepts</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+	<td align="right">XXII</td>
+	<td><a href="#CH22">The Sunken Island</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+	<td align="right">XXIII</td>
+	<td><a href="#CH23">The Magic Words</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+	<td align="right">XXIV</td>
+	<td><a href="#CH24">Glinda's Triumph</a></td>
+</tr>
+</table>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+
+<h2><a name="CH1" id="CH1">Chapter One</a></h2>
+
+<h3>The Call to Duty</h3>
+
+
+<p>Glinda, the good Sorceress of Oz, sat in the grand court of her
+palace, surrounded by her maids of honor&mdash;a hundred of the most
+beautiful girls of the Fairyland of Oz. The palace court was built of
+rare marbles, exquisitely polished. Fountains tinkled musically here
+and there; the vast colonnade, open to the south, allowed the maidens,
+as they raised their heads from their embroideries, to gaze upon a
+vista of rose-hued fields and groves of trees bearing fruits or laden
+with sweet-scented flowers. At times one of the girls would start a
+song, the others joining in the chorus, or one would rise and dance,
+gracefully swaying to the music of a harp played by a companion. And
+then Glinda smiled, glad to see her maids mixing play with work.</p>
+
+<p>Presently among the fields an object was seen moving, threading the
+broad path that led to the castle gate. Some of the girls looked upon
+this object enviously; the Sorceress merely gave it a glance and
+nodded her stately head as if pleased, for it meant the coming of her
+friend and mistress&mdash;the only one in all the land that Glinda bowed
+to.</p>
+
+<p>Then up the path trotted a wooden animal attached to a red wagon, and
+as the quaint steed halted at the gate there descended from the wagon
+two young girls, Ozma, Ruler of Oz, and her companion, Princess
+Dorothy. Both were dressed in simple white muslin gowns, and as they
+ran up the marble steps of the palace they laughed and chatted as
+gaily as if they were not the most important persons in the world's
+loveliest fairyland.</p>
+
+<p>The maids of honor had risen and stood with bowed heads to greet the
+royal Ozma, while Glinda came forward with outstretched arms to greet
+her guests.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We've just come on a visit, you know,&quot; said Ozma. &quot;Both Dorothy and I
+were wondering how we should pass the day when we happened to think
+we'd not been to your Quadling Country for weeks, so we took the
+Sawhorse and rode straight here.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And we came so fast,&quot; added Dorothy, &quot;that our hair is blown all
+fuzzy, for the Sawhorse makes a wind of his own. Usually it's a day's
+journey from the Em'rald City, but I don't s'pose we were two hours on
+the way.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You are most welcome,&quot; said Glinda the Sorceress, and led them
+through the court to her magnificent reception hall. Ozma took the arm
+of her hostess, but Dorothy lagged behind, kissing some of the maids
+she knew best, talking with others, and making them all feel that she
+was their friend. When at last she joined Glinda and Ozma in the
+reception hall, she found them talking earnestly about the condition
+of the people, and how to make them more happy and contented&mdash;although
+they were already the happiest and most contented folks in all the
+world.</p>
+
+<p>This interested Ozma, of course, but it didn't interest Dorothy very
+much, so the little girl ran over to a big table on which was lying
+open Glinda's Great Book of Records.</p>
+
+<p>This Book is one of the greatest treasures in Oz, and the Sorceress
+prizes it more highly than any of her magical possessions. That is the
+reason it is firmly attached to the big marble table by means of
+golden chains, and whenever Glinda leaves home she locks the Great
+Book together with five jeweled padlocks, and carries the keys safely
+hidden in her bosom.</p>
+
+<p>I do not suppose there is any magical thing in any fairyland to
+compare with the Record Book, on the pages of which are constantly
+being printed a record of every event that happens in any part of the
+world, at exactly the moment it happens. And the records are always
+truthful, although sometimes they do not give as many details as one
+could wish. But then, lots of things happen, and so the records have
+to be brief or even Glinda's Great Book could not hold them all.</p>
+
+<p>Glinda looked at the records several times each day, and Dorothy,
+whenever she visited the Sorceress, loved to look in the Book and see
+what was happening everywhere. Not much was recorded about the Land of
+Oz, which is usually peaceful and uneventful, but today Dorothy found
+something which interested her. Indeed, the printed letters were
+appearing on the page even while she looked.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;This is funny!&quot; she exclaimed. &quot;Did you know, Ozma, that there were
+people in your Land of Oz called Skeezers?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; replied Ozma, coming to her side, &quot;I know that on Professor
+Wogglebug's Map of the Land of Oz there is a place marked 'Skeezer,'
+but what the Skeezers are like I do not know. No one I know has ever
+seen them or heard of them. The Skeezer Country is 'way at the upper
+edge of the Gillikin Country, with the sandy, impassable desert on one
+side and the mountains of Oogaboo on another side. That is a part of
+the Land of Oz of which I know very little.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I guess no one else knows much about it either, unless it's the
+Skeezers themselves,&quot; remarked Dorothy. &quot;But the Book says: 'The
+Skeezers of Oz have declared war on the Flatheads of Oz, and there is
+likely to be fighting and much trouble as the result.'&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Is that all the Book says?&quot; asked Ozma.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Every word,&quot; said Dorothy, and Ozma and Glinda both looked at the
+Record and seemed surprised and perplexed.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Tell me, Glinda,&quot; said Ozma, &quot;who are the Flatheads?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I cannot, your Majesty,&quot; confessed the Sorceress. &quot;Until now I never
+have heard of them, nor have I ever heard the Skeezers mentioned. In
+the faraway corners of Oz are hidden many curious tribes of people,
+and those who never leave their own countries and never are visited by
+those from our favored part of Oz, naturally are unknown to me.
+However, if you so desire, I can learn through my arts of sorcery
+something of the Skeezers and the Flatheads.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wish you would,&quot; answered Ozma seriously. &quot;You see, Glinda, if
+these are Oz people they are my subjects and I cannot allow any wars
+or troubles in the Land I rule, if I can possibly help it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very well, your Majesty,&quot; said the Sorceress, &quot;I will try to get some
+information to guide you. Please excuse me for a time, while I retire
+to my Room of Magic and Sorcery.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;May I go with you?&quot; asked Dorothy, eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, Princess,&quot; was the reply. &quot;It would spoil the charm to have
+anyone present.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So Glinda locked herself in her own Room of Magic and Dorothy and Ozma
+waited patiently for her to come out again.</p>
+
+<p>In about an hour Glinda appeared, looking grave and thoughtful.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Your Majesty,&quot; she said to Ozma, &quot;the Skeezers live on a Magic Isle
+in a great lake. For that reason&mdash;because the Skeezers deal in
+magic&mdash;I can learn little about them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, I didn't know there was a lake in that part of Oz,&quot; exclaimed
+Ozma. &quot;The map shows a river running through the Skeezer Country, but
+no lake.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That is because the person who made the map never had visited that
+part of the country,&quot; explained the Sorceress. &quot;The lake surely is
+there, and in the lake is an island&mdash;a Magic Isle&mdash;and on that island
+live the people called the Skeezers.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What are they like?&quot; inquired the Ruler of Oz.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;My magic cannot tell me that,&quot; confessed Glinda, &quot;for the magic of
+the Skeezers prevents anyone outside of their domain knowing anything
+about them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Flatheads must know, if they're going to fight the Skeezers,&quot;
+suggested Dorothy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Perhaps so,&quot; Glinda replied, &quot;but I can get little information
+concerning the Flatheads, either. They are people who inhabit a
+mountain just south of the Lake of the Skeezers. The mountain has
+steep sides and a broad, hollow top, like a basin, and in this basin
+the Flatheads have their dwellings. They also are magic-workers and
+usually keep to themselves and allow no one from outside to visit
+them. I have learned that the Flatheads number about one hundred
+people&mdash;men, women and children&mdash;while the Skeezers number just one
+hundred and one.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What did they quarrel about, and why do they wish to fight one
+another?&quot; was Ozma's next question.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I cannot tell your Majesty that,&quot; said Glinda.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But see here!&quot; cried Dorothy, &quot;it's against the law for anyone but
+Glinda and the Wizard to work magic in the Land of Oz, so if these two
+strange people are magic-makers they are breaking the law and ought to
+be punished!&quot; Ozma smiled upon her little friend.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Those who do not know me or my laws,&quot; she said, &quot;cannot be expected
+to obey my laws. If we know nothing of the Skeezers or the Flatheads,
+it is likely that they know nothing of us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But they ought to know, Ozma, and we ought to know. Who's going to
+tell them, and how are we going to make them behave?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That,&quot; returned Ozma, &quot;is what I am now considering. What would you
+advise, Glinda?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The Sorceress took a little time to consider this question, before she
+made reply. Then she said: &quot;Had you not learned of the existence of
+the Flatheads and the Skeezers, through my Book of Records, you would
+never have worried about them or their quarrels. So, if you pay no
+attention to these peoples, you may never hear of them again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But that wouldn't be right,&quot; declared Ozma. &quot;I am Ruler of all the
+Land of Oz, which includes the Gillikin Country, the Quadling Country,
+the Winkie Country and the Munchkin Country, as well as the Emerald
+City, and being the Princess of this fairyland it is my duty to make
+all my people&mdash;wherever they may be&mdash;happy and content and to settle
+their disputes and keep them from quarreling. So, while the Skeezers
+and Flatheads may not know me or that I am their lawful Ruler, I now
+know that they inhabit my kingdom and are my subjects, so I would not
+be doing my duty if I kept away from them and allowed them to fight.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's a fact, Ozma,&quot; commented Dorothy. &quot;You've got to go up to the
+Gillikin Country and make these people behave themselves and make up
+their quarrels. But how are you going to do it?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That is what is puzzling me also, your Majesty,&quot; said the Sorceress.
+&quot;It may be dangerous for you to go into those strange countries, where
+the people are possibly fierce and warlike.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am not afraid,&quot; said Ozma, with a smile.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Tisn't a question of being 'fraid,&quot; argued Dorothy. &quot;Of course we
+know you're a fairy, and can't be killed or hurt, and we know you've a
+lot of magic of your own to help you. But, Ozma dear, in spite of all
+this you've been in trouble before, on account of wicked enemies, and
+it isn't right for the Ruler of all Oz to put herself in danger.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Perhaps I shall be in no danger at all,&quot; returned Ozma, with a little
+laugh. &quot;You mustn't imagine danger, Dorothy, for one should only
+imagine nice things, and we do not know that the Skeezers and
+Flatheads are wicked people or my enemies. Perhaps they would be good
+and listen to reason.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Dorothy is right, your Majesty,&quot; asserted the Sorceress. &quot;It is true
+we know nothing of these faraway subjects, except that they intend to
+fight one another, and have a certain amount of magic power at their
+command. Such folks do not like to submit to interference and they are
+more likely to resent your coming among them than to receive you
+kindly and graciously, as is your due.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If you had an army to take with you,&quot; added Dorothy, &quot;it wouldn't be
+so bad; but there isn't such a thing as an army in all Oz.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I have one soldier,&quot; said Ozma.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, the soldier with the green whiskers; but he's dreadful 'fraid of
+his gun and never loads it. I'm sure he'd run rather than fight. And
+one soldier, even if he were brave, couldn't do much against two
+hundred and one Flatheads and Skeezers.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What then, my friends, would you suggest?&quot; inquired Ozma.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I advise you to send the Wizard of Oz to them, and let him inform
+them that it is against the laws of Oz to fight, and that you command
+them to settle their differences and become friends,&quot; proposed Glinda.
+&quot;Let the Wizard tell them they will be punished if they refuse to obey
+the commands of the Princess of all the Land of Oz.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Ozma shook her head, to indicate that the advice was not to her
+satisfaction.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If they refuse, what then?&quot; she asked. &quot;I should be obliged to carry
+out my threat and punish them, and that would be an unpleasant and
+difficult thing to do. I am sure it would be better for me to go
+peacefully, without an army and armed only with my authority as Ruler,
+and plead with them to obey me. Then, if they prove obstinate I could
+resort to other means to win their obedience.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's a ticklish thing, anyhow you look at it,&quot; sighed Dorothy. &quot;I'm
+sorry now that I noticed the Record in the Great Book.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But can't you realize, my dear, that I must do my duty, now that I am
+aware of this trouble?&quot; asked Ozma. &quot;I am fully determined to go at
+once to the Magic Isle of the Skeezers and to the enchanted mountain
+of the Flatheads, and prevent war and strife between their
+inhabitants. The only question to decide is whether it is better for
+me to go alone, or to assemble a party of my friends and loyal
+supporters to accompany me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If you go I want to go, too,&quot; declared Dorothy. &quot;Whatever happens
+it's going to be fun&mdash;'cause all excitement is fun&mdash;and I wouldn't
+miss it for the world!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Neither Ozma nor Glinda paid any attention to this statement, for they
+were gravely considering the serious aspect of this proposed
+adventure.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There are plenty of friends who would like to go with you,&quot; said the
+Sorceress, &quot;but none of them would afford your Majesty any protection
+in case you were in danger. You are yourself the most powerful fairy
+in Oz, although both I and the Wizard have more varied arts of magic
+at our command. However, you have one art that no other in all the
+world can equal&mdash;the art of winning hearts and making people love to
+bow to your gracious presence. For that reason I believe you can
+accomplish more good alone than with a large number of subjects in
+your train.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I believe that also,&quot; agreed the Princess. &quot;I shall be quite able to
+take care of myself, you know, but might not be able to protect others
+so well. I do not look for opposition, however. I shall speak to these
+people in kindly words and settle their dispute&mdash;whatever it may
+be&mdash;in a just manner.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aren't you going to take me?&quot; pleaded Dorothy. &quot;You'll need some
+companion, Ozma.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The Princess smiled upon her little friend.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I see no reason why you should not accompany me,&quot; was her reply. &quot;Two
+girls are not very warlike and they will not suspect us of being on
+any errand but a kindly and peaceful one. But, in order to prevent war
+and strife between these angry peoples, we must go to them at once.
+Let us return immediately to the Emerald City and prepare to start on
+our journey early tomorrow morning.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Glinda was not quite satisfied with this plan, but could not think of
+any better way to meet the problem. She knew that Ozma, with all her
+gentleness and sweet disposition, was accustomed to abide by any
+decision she had made and could not easily be turned from her purpose.
+Moreover she could see no great danger to the fairy Ruler of Oz in the
+undertaking, even though the unknown people she was to visit proved
+obstinate. But Dorothy was not a fairy; she was a little girl who had
+come from Kansas to live in the Land of Oz. Dorothy might encounter
+dangers that to Ozma would be as nothing but to an &quot;Earth child&quot; would
+be very serious.</p>
+
+<p>The very fact that Dorothy lived in Oz, and had been made a Princess
+by her friend Ozma, prevented her from being killed or suffering any
+great bodily pain as long as she lived in that fairyland. She could
+not grow big, either, and would always remain the same little girl who
+had come to Oz, unless in some way she left that fairyland or was
+spirited away from it. But Dorothy was a mortal, nevertheless, and
+might possibly be destroyed, or hidden where none of her friends could
+ever find her. She could, for instance be cut into pieces, and the
+pieces, while still alive and free from pain, could be widely
+scattered; or she might be buried deep underground or &quot;destroyed&quot; in
+other ways by evil magicians, were she not properly protected. These
+facts Glinda was considering while she paced with stately tread her
+marble hall.</p>
+
+<p>Finally the good Sorceress paused and drew a ring from her finger,
+handing it to Dorothy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Wear this ring constantly until your return,&quot; she said to the girl.
+&quot;If serious danger threatens you, turn the ring around on your finger
+once to the right and another turn to the left. That will ring the
+alarm bell in my palace and I will at once come to your rescue. But do
+not use the ring unless you are actually in danger of destruction.
+While you remain with Princess Ozma I believe she will be able to
+protect you from all lesser ills.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Thank you, Glinda,&quot; responded Dorothy gratefully, as she placed the
+ring on her finger. &quot;I'm going to wear my Magic Belt which I took from
+the Nome King, too, so I guess I'll be safe from anything the Skeezers
+and Flatheads try to do to me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Ozma had many arrangements to make before she could leave her throne
+and her palace in the Emerald City, even for a trip of a few days, so
+she bade goodbye to Glinda and with Dorothy climbed into the Red
+Wagon. A word to the wooden Sawhorse started that astonishing creature
+on the return journey, and so swiftly did he run that Dorothy was
+unable to talk or do anything but hold tight to her seat all the way
+back to the Emerald City.</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h2><a name="CH2" id="CH2">Chapter Two</a></h2>
+
+<h3>Ozma and Dorothy</h3>
+
+<p>Residing in Ozma's palace at this time was a live Scarecrow, a most
+remarkable and intelligent creature who had once ruled the Land of Oz
+for a brief period and was much loved and respected by all the people.
+Once a Munchkin farmer had stuffed an old suit of clothes with straw
+and put stuffed boots on the feet and used a pair of stuffed cotton
+gloves for hands. The head of the Scarecrow was a stuffed sack
+fastened to the body, with eyes, nose, mouth and ears painted on the
+sack. When a hat had been put on the head, the thing was a good
+imitation of a man. The farmer placed the Scarecrow on a pole in his
+cornfield and it came to life in a curious manner. Dorothy, who was
+passing by the field, was hailed by the live Scarecrow and lifted him
+off his pole. He then went with her to the Emerald City, where the
+Wizard of Oz gave him some excellent brains, and the Scarecrow soon
+became an important personage.</p>
+
+<p>Ozma considered the Scarecrow one of her best friends and most loyal
+subjects, so the morning after her visit to Glinda she asked him to
+take her place as Ruler of the Land of Oz while she was absent on a
+journey, and the Scarecrow at once consented without asking any
+questions.</p>
+
+<p>Ozma had warned Dorothy to keep their journey a secret and say nothing
+to anyone about the Skeezers and Flatheads until their return, and
+Dorothy promised to obey. She longed to tell her girl friends, tiny
+Trot and Betsy Bobbin, of the adventure they were undertaking, but
+refrained from saying a word on the subject although both these girls
+lived with her in Ozma's palace.</p>
+
+<p>Indeed, only Glinda the Sorceress knew they were going, until after
+they had gone, and even the Sorceress didn't know what their errand
+might be.</p>
+
+<p>Princess Ozma took the Sawhorse and the Red Wagon, although she was
+not sure there was a wagon road all the way to the Lake of the
+Skeezers. The Land of Oz is a pretty big place, surrounded on all
+sides by a Deadly Desert which it is impossible to cross, and the
+Skeezer Country, according to the map, was in the farthest
+northwestern part of Oz, bordering on the north desert. As the Emerald
+City was exactly in the center of Oz, it was no small journey from
+there to the Skeezers.</p>
+
+<p>Around the Emerald City the country is thickly settled in every
+direction, but the farther away you get from the city the fewer people
+there are, until those parts that border on the desert have small
+populations. Also those faraway sections are little known to the Oz
+people, except in the south, where Glinda lives and where Dorothy has
+often wandered on trips of exploration.</p>
+
+<p>The least known of all is the Gillikin Country, which harbors many
+strange bands of people among its mountains and valleys and forests
+and streams, and Ozma was now bound for the most distant part of the
+Gillikin Country.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am really sorry,&quot; said Ozma to Dorothy, as they rode away in the
+Red Wagon, &quot;not to know more about the wonderful Land I rule. It is my
+duty to be acquainted with every tribe of people and every strange and
+hidden country in all Oz, but I am kept so busy at my palace making
+laws and planning for the comforts of those who live near the Emerald
+City, that I do not often find time to make long journeys.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; replied Dorothy, &quot;we'll prob'bly find out a lot on this trip,
+and we'll learn all about the Skeezers and Flatheads, anyhow. Time
+doesn't make much diff'rence in the Land of Oz, 'cause we don't grow
+up, or get old, or become sick and die, as they do other places; so,
+if we explore one place at a time, we'll by-an'-by know all about
+every nook and corner in Oz.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Dorothy wore around her waist the Nome King's Magic Belt, which
+protected her from harm, and the Magic Ring which Glinda had given her
+was on her finger. Ozma had merely slipped a small silver wand into
+the bosom of her gown, for fairies do not use chemicals and herbs and
+the tools of wizards and sorcerers to perform their magic. The Silver
+Wand was Ozma's one weapon of offense and defense and by its use she
+could accomplish many things.</p>
+
+<p>They had left the Emerald City just at sunrise and the Sawhorse
+traveled very swiftly over the roads towards the north, but in a few
+hours the wooden animal had to slacken his pace because the farm
+houses had become few and far between and often there were no paths at
+all in the direction they wished to follow. At such times they crossed
+the fields, avoiding groups of trees and fording the streams and
+rivulets whenever they came to them. But finally they reached a broad
+hillside closely covered with scrubby brush, through which the wagon
+could not pass.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It will be difficult even for you and me to get through without
+tearing our dresses,&quot; said Ozma, &quot;so we must leave the Sawhorse and
+the Wagon here until our return.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's all right,&quot; Dorothy replied, &quot;I'm tired riding, anyhow. Do you
+s'pose, Ozma, we're anywhere near the Skeezer Country?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I cannot tell, Dorothy dear, but I know we've been going in the right
+direction, so we are sure to find it in time.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The scrubby brush was almost like a grove of small trees, for it
+reached as high as the heads of the two girls, neither of whom was
+very tall. They were obliged to thread their way in and out, until
+Dorothy was afraid they would get lost, and finally they were halted
+by a curious thing that barred their further progress. It was a huge
+web&mdash;as if woven by gigantic spiders&mdash;and the delicate, lacy film was
+fastened stoutly to the branches of the bushes and continued to the
+right and left in the form of a half circle. The threads of this web
+were of a brilliant purple color and woven into numerous artistic
+patterns, but it reached from the ground to branches above the heads
+of the girls and formed a sort of fence that hedged them in.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It doesn't look very strong, though,&quot; said Dorothy. &quot;I wonder if we
+couldn't break through.&quot; She tried but found the web stronger than it
+seemed. All her efforts could not break a single thread.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We must go back, I think, and try to get around this peculiar web,&quot;
+Ozma decided.</p>
+
+<p>So they turned to the right and, following the web found that it
+seemed to spread in a regular circle. On and on they went until
+finally Ozma said they had returned to the exact spot from which they
+had started. &quot;Here is a handkerchief you dropped when we were here
+before,&quot; she said to Dorothy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;In that case, they must have built the web behind us, after we walked
+into the trap,&quot; exclaimed the little girl.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;True,&quot; agreed Ozma, &quot;an enemy has tried to imprison us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And they did it, too,&quot; said Dorothy. &quot;I wonder who it was.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's a spider-web, I'm quite sure,&quot; returned Ozma, &quot;but it must be
+the work of enormous spiders.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Quite right!&quot; cried a voice behind them. Turning quickly around they
+beheld a huge purple spider sitting not two yards away and regarding
+them with its small bright eyes.</p>
+
+<p>Then there crawled from the bushes a dozen more great purple spiders,
+which saluted the first one and said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The web is finished, O King, and the strangers are our prisoners.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Dorothy did not like the looks of these spiders at all. They had big
+heads, sharp claws, small eyes and fuzzy hair all over their purple
+bodies.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They look wicked,&quot; she whispered to Ozma. &quot;What shall we do?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Ozma gazed upon the spiders with a serious face.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What is your object in making us prisoners?&quot; she inquired.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We need someone to keep house for us,&quot; answered the Spider King.
+&quot;There is sweeping and dusting to be done, and polishing and washing
+of dishes, and that is work my people dislike to do. So we decided
+that if any strangers came our way we would capture them and make them
+our servants.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am Princess Ozma, Ruler of all Oz,&quot; said the girl with dignity.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I am King of all Spiders,&quot; was the reply, &quot;and that makes me
+your master. Come with me to my palace and I will instruct you in your
+work.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I won't,&quot; said Dorothy indignantly. &quot;We won't have anything to do
+with you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We'll see about that,&quot; returned the Spider in a severe tone, and the
+next instant he made a dive straight at Dorothy, opening the claws in
+his legs as if to grab and pinch her with the sharp points. But the
+girl was wearing her Magic Belt and was not harmed. The Spider King
+could not even touch her. He turned swiftly and made a dash at Ozma,
+but she held her Magic Wand over his head and the monster recoiled as
+if it had been struck.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You'd better let us go,&quot; Dorothy advised him, &quot;for you see you can't
+hurt us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;So I see,&quot; returned the Spider King angrily. &quot;Your magic is greater
+than mine. But I'll not help you to escape. If you can break the magic
+web my people have woven you may go; if not you must stay here and
+starve.&quot; With that the Spider King uttered a peculiar whistle and all
+the spiders disappeared.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There is more magic in my fairyland than I dreamed of,&quot; remarked the
+beautiful Ozma, with a sigh of regret. &quot;It seems that my laws have not
+been obeyed, for even these monstrous spiders defy me by means of
+Magic.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Never mind that now,&quot; said Dorothy; &quot;let's see what we can do to get
+out of this trap.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They now examined the web with great care and were amazed at its
+strength. Although finer than the finest silken hairs, it resisted all
+their efforts to work through, even though both girls threw all their
+weight against it.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We must find some instrument which will cut the threads of the web,&quot;
+said Ozma, finally. &quot;Let us look about for such a tool.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So they wandered among the bushes and finally came to a shallow pool
+of water, formed by a small bubbling spring. Dorothy stooped to get a
+drink and discovered in the water a green crab, about as big as her
+hand. The crab had two big, sharp claws, and as soon as Dorothy saw
+them she had an idea that those claws could save them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Come out of the water,&quot; she called to the crab; &quot;I want to talk to
+you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Rather lazily the crab rose to the surface and caught hold of a bit of
+rock. With his head above the water he said in a cross voice:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What do you want?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We want you to cut the web of the purple spiders with your claws, so
+we can get through it,&quot; answered Dorothy. &quot;You can do that, can't
+you?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I suppose so,&quot; replied the crab. &quot;But if I do what will you give me?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What do you wish?&quot; Ozma inquired.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wish to be white, instead of green,&quot; said the crab. &quot;Green crabs
+are very common, and white ones are rare; besides the purple spiders,
+which infest this hillside, are afraid of white crabs. Could you make
+me white if I should agree to cut the web for you?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said Ozma, &quot;I can do that easily. And, so you may know I am
+speaking the truth, I will change your color now.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>She waved her silver wand over the pool and the crab instantly became
+snow-white&mdash;all except his eyes, which remained black. The creature
+saw his reflection in the water and was so delighted that he at once
+climbed out of the pool and began moving slowly toward the web, by
+backing away from the pool. He moved so very slowly that Dorothy cried
+out impatiently: &quot;Dear me, this will never do!&quot; Caching the crab in
+her hands she ran with him to the web.</p>
+
+<p>She had to hold him up even then, so he could reach with his claws
+strand after strand of the filmy purple web, which he was able to
+sever with one nip.</p>
+
+<p>When enough of the web had been cut to allow them to pass, Dorothy ran
+back to the pool and placed the white crab in the water, after which
+she rejoined Ozma. They were just in time to escape through the web,
+for several of the purple spiders now appeared, having discovered that
+their web had been cut, and had the girls not rushed through the
+opening the spiders would have quickly repaired the cuts and again
+imprisoned them.</p>
+
+<p>Ozma and Dorothy ran as fast as they could and although the angry
+spiders threw a number of strands of web after them, hoping to lasso
+them or entangle them in the coils, they managed to escape and clamber
+to the top of the hill.</p>
+
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h2><a name="CH3" id="CH3">Chapter Three</a></h2>
+
+<h3>The Mist Maidens</h3>
+
+
+
+<p>From the top of the hill Ozma and Dorothy looked down into the valley
+beyond and were surprised to find it filled with a floating mist that
+was as dense as smoke. Nothing in the valley was visible except these
+rolling waves of mist, but beyond, on the other side, rose a grassy
+hill that appeared quite beautiful.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Dorothy, &quot;what are we to do, Ozma? Walk down into that
+thick fog, an' prob'bly get lost in it, or wait till it clears away?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'm not sure it will clear away, however long we wait,&quot; replied Ozma,
+doubtfully. &quot;If we wish to get on, I think we must venture into the
+mist.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But we can't see where we're going, or what we're stepping on,&quot;
+protested Dorothy. &quot;There may be dreadful things mixed up in that fog,
+an' I'm scared just to think of wading into it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Even Ozma seemed to hesitate. She was silent and thoughtful for a
+little while, looking at the rolling drifts that were so gray and
+forbidding. Finally she said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I believe this is a Mist Valley, where these moist clouds always
+remain, for even the sunshine above does not drive them away.
+Therefore the Mist Maids must live here, and they are fairies and
+should answer my call.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>She placed her two hands before her mouth, forming a hollow with them,
+and uttered a clear, thrilling, bird-like cry. It floated far out over
+the mist waves and presently was answered by a similar sound, as of a
+far-off echo.</p>
+
+<p>Dorothy was much impressed. She had seen many strange things since
+coming to this fairy country, but here was a new experience. At
+ordinary times Ozma was just like any little girl one might chance to
+meet&mdash;simple, merry, lovable as could be&mdash;yet with a certain reserve
+that lent her dignity in her most joyous moods. There were times,
+however, when seated on her throne and commanding her subjects, or
+when her fairy powers were called into use, when Dorothy and all
+others about her stood in awe of their lovely girl Ruler and realized
+her superiority.</p>
+
+<p>Ozma waited. Presently out from the billows rose beautiful forms,
+clothed in fleecy, trailing garments of gray that could scarcely be
+distinguished from the mist. Their hair was mist-color, too; only
+their gleaming arms and sweet, pallid faces proved they were living,
+intelligent creatures answering the call of a sister fairy.</p>
+
+<p>Like sea nymphs they rested on the bosom of the clouds, their eyes
+turned questioningly upon the two girls who stood upon the bank. One
+came quite near and to her Ozma said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Will you please take us to the opposite hillside? We are afraid to
+venture into the mist. I am Princess Ozma of Oz, and this is my friend
+Dorothy, a Princess of Oz.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The Mist Maids came nearer, holding out their arms. Without hesitation
+Ozma advanced and allowed them to embrace her and Dorothy plucked up
+courage to follow. Very gently the Mist Maids held them. Dorothy
+thought the arms were cold and misty&mdash;they didn't seem real at
+all&mdash;yet they supported the two girls above the surface of the billows
+and floated with them so swiftly to the green hillside opposite that
+the girls were astonished to find themselves set upon the grass before
+they realized they had fairly started.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Thank you!&quot; said Ozma gratefully, and Dorothy also added her thanks
+for the service.</p>
+
+<p>The Mist Maids made no answer, but they smiled and waved their hands
+in good-bye as again they floated out into the mist and disappeared
+from view.</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h2><a name="CH4" id="CH4">Chapter Four</a></h2>
+
+<h3>The Magic Tent</h3>
+
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Dorothy with a laugh, &quot;that was easier than I expected.
+It's worth while, sometimes, to be a real fairy. But I wouldn't like
+to be that kind, and live in a dreadful fog all the time.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They now climbed the bank and found before them a delightful plain
+that spread for miles in all directions. Fragrant wild flowers were
+scattered throughout the grass; there were bushes bearing lovely
+blossoms and luscious fruits; now and then a group of stately trees
+added to the beauty of the landscape. But there were no dwellings or
+signs of life.</p>
+
+<p>The farther side of the plain was bordered by a row of palms, and just
+in front of the palms rose a queerly shaped hill that towered above
+the plain like a mountain. The sides of this hill were straight up and
+down; it was oblong in shape and the top seemed flat and level.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, ho!&quot; cried Dorothy; &quot;I'll bet that's the mountain Glinda told us
+of, where the Flatheads live.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If it is,&quot; replied Ozma, &quot;the Lake of the Skeezers must be just
+beyond the line of palm trees. Can you walk that far, Dorothy?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Of course, in time,&quot; was the prompt answer. &quot;I'm sorry we had to
+leave the Sawhorse and the Red Wagon behind us, for they'd come in
+handy just now; but with the end of our journey in sight a tramp
+across these pretty green fields won't tire us a bit.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>It was a longer tramp than they suspected, however, and night overtook
+them before they could reach the flat mountain. So Ozma proposed they
+camp for the night and Dorothy was quite ready to approve. She didn't
+like to admit to her friend she was tired, but she told herself that
+her legs &quot;had prickers in 'em,&quot; meaning they had begun to ache.</p>
+
+<p>Usually when Dorothy started on a journey of exploration or adventure,
+she carried with her a basket of food, and other things that a
+traveler in a strange country might require, but to go away with Ozma
+was quite a different thing, as experience had taught her. The fairy
+Ruler of Oz only needed her silver wand&mdash;tipped at one end with a
+great sparkling emerald&mdash;to provide through its magic all that they
+might need. Therefore Ozma, having halted with her companion and
+selected a smooth, grassy spot on the plain, waved her wand in
+graceful curves and chanted some mystic words in her sweet voice, and
+in an instant a handsome tent appeared before them. The canvas was
+striped purple and white, and from the center pole fluttered the royal
+banner of Oz.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Come, dear,&quot; said Ozma, taking Dorothy's hand, &quot;I am hungry and I'm
+sure you must be also; so let us go in and have our feast.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>On entering the tent they found a table set for two, with snowy linen,
+bright silver and sparkling glassware, a vase of roses in the center
+and many dishes of delicious food, some smoking hot, waiting to
+satisfy their hunger. Also, on either side of the tent were beds, with
+satin sheets, warm blankets and pillows filled with swansdown. There
+were chairs, too, and tall lamps that lighted the interior of the tent
+with a soft, rosy glow.</p>
+
+<p>Dorothy, resting herself at her fairy friend's command, and eating her
+dinner with unusual enjoyment, thought of the wonders of magic. If one
+were a fairy and knew the secret laws of nature and the mystic words
+and ceremonies that commanded those laws, then a simple wave of a
+silver wand would produce instantly all that men work hard and
+anxiously for through weary years. And Dorothy wished in her kindly,
+innocent heart, that all men and women could be fairies with silver
+wands, and satisfy all their needs without so much work and worry, for
+then, she imagined, they would have all their working hours to be
+happy in. But Ozma, looking into her friend's face and reading those
+thoughts, gave a laugh and said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, no, Dorothy, that wouldn't do at all. Instead of happiness your
+plan would bring weariness to the world. If every one could wave a
+wand and have his wants fulfilled there would be little to wish for.
+There would be no eager striving to obtain the difficult, for nothing
+would then be difficult, and the pleasure of earning something longed
+for, and only to be secured by hard work and careful thought, would be
+utterly lost. There would be nothing to do you see, and no interest in
+life and in our fellow creatures. That is all that makes life worth
+our while&mdash;to do good deeds and to help those less fortunate than
+ourselves.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, you're a fairy, Ozma. Aren't you happy?&quot; asked Dorothy</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, dear, because I can use my fairy powers to make others happy.
+Had I no kingdom to rule, and no subjects to look after, I would be
+miserable. Also, you must realize that while I am a more powerful
+fairy than any other inhabitant of Oz, I am not as powerful as Glinda
+the Sorceress, who has studied many arts of magic that I know nothing
+of. Even the little Wizard of Oz can do some things I am unable to
+accomplish, while I can accomplish things unknown to the Wizard. This
+is to explain that I'm not all-powerful, by any means. My magic is
+simply fairy magic, and not sorcery or wizardry.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;All the same,&quot; said Dorothy, &quot;I'm mighty glad you could make this
+tent appear, with our dinners and beds all ready for us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Ozma smiled.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, it is indeed wonderful,&quot; she agreed. &quot;Not all fairies know that
+sort of magic, but some fairies can do magic that fills me with
+astonishment. I think that is what makes us modest and unassuming&mdash;the
+fact that our magic arts are divided, some being given each of us. I'm
+glad I don't know everything, Dorothy, and that there still are things
+in both nature and in wit for me to marvel at.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Dorothy couldn't quite understand this, so she said nothing more on
+the subject and presently had a new reason to marvel. For when they
+had quite finished their meal table and contents disappeared in a
+flash.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No dishes to wash, Ozma!&quot; she said with a laugh. &quot;I guess you'd make
+a lot of folks happy if you could teach 'em just that one trick.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>For an hour Ozma told stories, and talked with Dorothy about various
+people in whom they were interested. And then it was bedtime, and they
+undressed and crept into their soft beds and fell asleep almost as
+soon as their heads touched their pillows.</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h2><a name="CH5" id="CH5">Chapter Five</a></h2>
+
+<h3>The Magic Stairway</h3>
+
+
+
+<p>The flat mountain looked much nearer in the clear light of the morning
+sun, but Dorothy and Ozma knew there was a long tramp before them,
+even yet. They finished dressing only to find a warm, delicious
+breakfast awaiting them, and having eaten they left the tent and
+started toward the mountain which was their first goal. After going a
+little way Dorothy looked back and found that the fairy tent had
+entirely disappeared. She was not surprised, for she knew this would
+happen.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Can't your magic give us a horse an' wagon, or an automobile?&quot;
+inquired Dorothy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, dear; I'm sorry that such magic is beyond my power,&quot; confessed
+her fairy friend.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Perhaps Glinda could,&quot; said Dorothy thoughtfully.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Glinda has a stork chariot that carries her through the air,&quot; said
+Ozma, &quot;but even our great Sorceress cannot conjure up other modes of
+travel. Don't forget what I told you last night, that no one is
+powerful enough to do everything.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I s'pose I ought to know that, having lived so long in the Land
+of Oz,&quot; replied Dorothy; &quot;but I can't do any magic at all, an' so I
+can't figure out e'zactly how you an' Glinda an' the Wizard do it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Don't try,&quot; laughed Ozma. &quot;But you have at least one magical art,
+Dorothy: you know the trick of winning all hearts.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, I don't,&quot; said Dorothy earnestly. &quot;If I really can do it, Ozma, I
+am sure I don't know how I do it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>It took them a good two hours to reach the foot of the round, flat
+mountain, and then they found the sides so steep that they were like
+the wall of a house.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Even my purple kitten couldn't climb 'em,&quot; remarked Dorothy, gazing
+upward.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But there is some way for the Flatheads to get down and up again,&quot;
+declared Ozma; &quot;otherwise they couldn't make war with the Skeezers, or
+even meet them and quarrel with them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's so, Ozma. Let's walk around a ways; perhaps we'll find a
+ladder or something.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They walked quite a distance, for it was a big mountain, and as they
+circled around it and came to the side that faced the palm trees, they
+suddenly discovered an entrance way cut out of the rock wall. This
+entrance was arched overhead and not very deep because it merely led
+to a short flight of stone stairs.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, we've found a way to the top at last,&quot; announced Ozma, and the
+two girls turned and walked straight toward the entrance. Suddenly
+they bumped against something and stood still, unable to proceed
+farther.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Dear me!&quot; exclaimed Dorothy, rubbing her nose, which had struck
+something hard, although she could not see what it was; &quot;this isn't as
+easy as it looks. What has stopped us, Ozma? Is it magic of some
+sort?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Ozma was feeling around, her bands outstretched before her.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, dear, it is magic,&quot; she replied. &quot;The Flatheads had to have a
+way from their mountain top from the plain below, but to prevent
+enemies from rushing up the stairs to conquer them, they have built,
+at a small distance before the entrance a wall of solid stone, the
+stones being held in place by cement, and then they made the wall
+invisible.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wonder why they did that?&quot; mused Dorothy. &quot;A wall would keep folks
+out anyhow, whether it could be seen or not, so there wasn't any use
+making it invisible. Seems to me it would have been better to have
+left it solid, for then no one would have seen the entrance behind it.
+Now anybody can see the entrance, as we did. And prob'bly anybody that
+tries to go up the stairs gets bumped, as we did.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Ozma made no reply at once. Her face was grave and thoughtful.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I think I know the reason for making the wall invisible,&quot; she said
+after a while. &quot;The Flatheads use the stairs for coming down and going
+up. If there was a solid stone wall to keep them from reaching the
+plain they would themselves be imprisoned by the wall. So they had to
+leave some place to get around the wall, and, if the wall was visible,
+all strangers or enemies would find the place to go around it and then
+the wall would be useless. So the Flatheads cunningly made their wall
+invisible, believing that everyone who saw the entrance to the
+mountain would walk straight toward it, as we did, and find it
+impossible to go any farther. I suppose the wall is really high and
+thick, and can't be broken through, so those who find it in their way
+are obliged to go away again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Dorothy, &quot;if there's a way around the wall, where is it?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We must find it,&quot; returned Ozma, and began feeling her way along the
+wall. Dorothy followed and began to get discouraged when Ozma had
+walked nearly a quarter of a mile away from the entrance. But now the
+invisible wall curved in toward the side of the mountain and suddenly
+ended, leaving just space enough between the wall and the mountain for
+an ordinary person to pass through.</p>
+
+<p>The girls went in, single file, and Ozma explained that they were now
+behind the barrier and could go back to the entrance. They met no
+further obstructions.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Most people, Ozma, wouldn't have figured this thing out the way you
+did,&quot; remarked Dorothy. &quot;If I'd been alone the invisible wall surely
+would have stumped me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Reaching the entrance they began to mount the stone stairs. They went
+up ten stairs and then down five stairs, following a passage cut from
+the rock. The stairs were just wide enough for the two girls to walk
+abreast, arm in arm. At the bottom of the five stairs the passage
+turned to the right, and they ascended ten more stairs, only to find
+at the top of the flight five stairs leading straight down again.
+Again the passage turned abruptly, this time to the left, and ten more
+stairs led upward.</p>
+
+<p>The passage was now quite dark, for they were in the heart of the
+mountain and all daylight had been shut out by the turns of the
+passage. However, Ozma drew her silver wand from her bosom and the
+great jewel at its end gave out a lustrous, green-tinted light which
+lighted the place well enough for them to see their way plainly.</p>
+
+<p>Ten steps up, five steps down, and a turn, this way or that. That was
+the program, and Dorothy figured that they were only gaining five
+stairs upward each trip that they made.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Those Flatheads must be funny people,&quot; she said to Ozma. &quot;They don't
+seem to do anything in a bold straightforward manner. In making this
+passage they forced everyone to walk three times as far as is
+necessary. And of course this trip is just as tiresome to the
+Flatheads as it is to other folks.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That is true,&quot; answered Ozma; &quot;yet it is a clever arrangement to
+prevent their being surprised by intruders. Every time we reach the
+tenth step of a flight, the pressure of our feet on the stone makes a
+bell ring on top of the mountain, to warn the Flatheads of our
+coming.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How do you know that?&quot; demanded Dorothy, astonished.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I've heard the bell ever since we started,&quot; Ozma told her. &quot;You could
+not hear it, I know, but when I am holding my wand in my hand I can
+hear sounds a great distance off.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do you hear anything on top of the mountain 'cept the bell?&quot; inquired
+Dorothy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes. The people are calling to one another in alarm and many
+footsteps are approaching the place where we will reach the flat top
+of the mountain.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This made Dorothy feel somewhat anxious. &quot;I'd thought we were going to
+visit just common, ordinary people,&quot; she remarked, &quot;but they're pretty
+clever, it seems, and they know some kinds of magic, too. They may be
+dangerous, Ozma. P'raps we'd better stayed at home.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Finally the upstairs-and-downstairs passage seemed coming to an end,
+for daylight again appeared ahead of the two girls and Ozma replaced
+her wand in the bosom of her gown. The last ten steps brought them to
+the surface, where they found themselves surrounded by such a throng
+of queer people that for a time they halted, speechless, and stared
+into the faces that confronted them.</p>
+
+<p>Dorothy knew at once why these mountain people were called Flatheads.
+Their heads were really flat on top, as if they had been cut off just
+above the eyes and ears. Also the heads were bald, with no hair on top
+at all, and the ears were big and stuck straight out, and the noses
+were small and stubby, while the mouths of the Flatheads were well
+shaped and not unusual. Their eyes were perhaps their best feature,
+being large and bright and a deep violet in color.</p>
+
+<p>The costumes of the Flatheads were all made of metals dug from their
+mountain. Small gold, silver, tin and iron discs, about the size of
+pennies, and very thin, were cleverly wired together and made to form
+knee trousers and jackets for the men and skirts and waists for the
+women. The colored metals were skillfully mixed to form stripes and
+checks of various sorts, so that the costumes were quite gorgeous and
+reminded Dorothy of pictures she had seen of Knights of old clothed
+armor.</p>
+
+<p>Aside from their flat heads, these people were not really bad looking.
+The men were armed with bows and arrows and had small axes of steel
+stuck in their metal belts. They wore no hats nor ornaments.</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h2><a name="CH6" id="CH6">Chapter Six</a></h2>
+
+<h3>Flathead Mountain</h3>
+
+<p>When they saw that the intruders on their mountain were only two
+little girls, the Flatheads grunted with satisfaction and drew back,
+permitting them to see what the mountain top looked like. It was
+shaped like a saucer, so that the houses and other buildings&mdash;all made
+of rocks&mdash;could not be seen over the edge by anyone standing in the
+plain below.</p>
+
+<p>But now a big fat Flathead stood before the girls and in a gruff voice
+demanded:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What are you doing here? Have the Skeezers sent you to spy upon us?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am Princess Ozma, Ruler of all the Land of Oz.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I've never heard of the Land of Oz, so you may be what you
+claim,&quot; returned the Flathead.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;This is the Land of Oz&mdash;part of it, anyway,&quot; exclaimed Dorothy. &quot;So
+Princess Ozma rules you Flathead people, as well as all the other
+people in Oz.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The man laughed, and all the others who stood around laughed, too.
+Some one in the crowd called:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;She'd better not tell the Supreme Dictator about ruling the
+Flatheads. Eh, friends?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, indeed!&quot; they all answered in positive tones.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Who is your Supreme Dictator?&quot; answered Ozma.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I think I'll let him tell you that himself,&quot; answered the man who had
+first spoken. &quot;You have broken our laws by coming here; and whoever
+you are the Supreme Dictator must fix your punishment. Come along with
+me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He started down a path and Ozma and Dorothy followed him without
+protest, as they wanted to see the most important person in this queer
+country. The houses they passed seemed pleasant enough and each had a
+little yard in which were flowers and vegetables. Walls of rock
+separated the dwellings, and all the paths were paved with smooth
+slabs of rock. This seemed their only building material and they
+utilized it cleverly for every purpose.</p>
+
+<p>Directly in the center of the great saucer stood a larger building
+which the Flathead informed the girls was the palace of the Supreme
+Dictator. He led them through an entrance hall into a big reception
+room, where they sat upon stone benches and awaited the coming of the
+Dictator. Pretty soon he entered from another room&mdash;a rather lean and
+rather old Flathead, dressed much like the others of this strange
+race, and only distinguished from them by the sly and cunning
+expression of his face. He kept his eyes half closed and looked
+through the slits of them at Ozma and Dorothy, who rose to receive
+him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Are you the Supreme Dictator of the Flatheads?&quot; inquired Ozma.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, that's me,&quot; he said, rubbing his hands slowly together. &quot;My word
+is law. I'm the head of the Flatheads on this flat headland.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am Princess Ozma of Oz, and I have come from the Emerald City to
+&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Stop a minute,&quot; interrupted the Dictator, and turned to the man who
+had brought the girls there. &quot;Go away, Dictator Felo Flathead!&quot; he
+commanded. &quot;Return to your duty and guard the Stairway. I will look
+after these strangers.&quot; The man bowed and departed, and Dorothy asked
+wonderingly:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Is he a Dictator, too?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Of course,&quot; was the answer. &quot;Everybody here is a dictator of
+something or other. They're all office holders. That's what keeps them
+contented. But I'm the Supreme Dictator of all, and I'm elected once a
+year. This is a democracy, you know, where the people are allowed to
+vote for their rulers. A good many others would like to be Supreme
+Dictator, but as I made a law that I am always to count the votes
+myself, I am always elected.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What is your name?&quot; asked Ozma.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am called the Su-dic, which is short for Supreme Dictator. I sent
+that man away because the moment you mentioned Ozma of Oz, and the
+Emerald City, I knew who you are. I suppose I'm the only Flathead that
+ever heard of you, but that's because I have more brains than the
+rest.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Dorothy was staring hard at the Su-dic.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't see how you can have any brains at all,&quot; she remarked,
+&quot;because the part of your head is gone where brains are kept.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't blame you for thinking that,&quot; he said. &quot;Once the Flatheads
+had no brains because, as you say, there is no upper part to their
+heads, to hold brains. But long, long ago a band of fairies flew over
+this country and made it all a fairyland, and when they came to the
+Flatheads the fairies were sorry to find them all very stupid and
+quite unable to think. So, as there was no good place in their bodies
+in which to put brains the Fairy Queen gave each one of us a nice can
+of brains to carry in his pocket and that made us just as intelligent
+as other people. See,&quot; he continued, &quot;here is one of the cans of
+brains the fairies gave us.&quot; He took from a pocket a bright tin can
+having a pretty red label on it which said: &quot;Concentrated Brains,
+Extra Quality.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And does every Flathead have the same kind of brains?&quot; asked Dorothy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, they're all alike. Here's another can.&quot; From another pocket he
+produced a second can of brains.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Did the fairies give you a double supply?&quot; inquired Dorothy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, but one of the Flatheads thought he wanted to be the Su-dic and
+tried to get my people to rebel against me, so I punished him by
+taking away his brains. One day my wife scolded me severely, so I took
+away her can of brains. She didn't like that and went out and robbed
+several women of their brains. Then I made a law that if anyone stole
+another's brains, or even tried to borrow them, he would forfeit his
+own brains to the Su-dic. So each one is content with his own canned
+brains and my wife and I are the only ones on the mountain with more
+than one can. I have three cans and that makes me very clever&mdash;so
+clever that I'm a good Sorcerer, if I do say it myself. My poor wife
+had four cans of brains and became a remarkable witch, but alas! that
+was before those terrible enemies, the Skeezers, transformed her into
+a Golden Pig.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Good gracious!&quot; cried Dorothy; &quot;is your wife really a Golden Pig?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;She is. The Skeezers did it and so I have declared war on them. In
+revenge for making my wife a Pig I intend to ruin their Magic Island
+and make the Skeezers the slaves of the Flatheads!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The Su-dic was very angry now; his eyes flashed and his face took on a
+wicked and fierce expression. But Ozma said to him, very sweetly and
+in a friendly voice:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am sorry to hear this. Will you please tell me more about your
+troubles with the Skeezers? Then perhaps I can help you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>She was only a girl, but there was dignity in her pose and speech
+which impressed the Su-dic.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If you are really Princess Ozma of Oz,&quot; the Flathead said, &quot;you are
+one of that band of fairies who, under Queen Lurline, made all Oz a
+Fairyland. I have heard that Lurline left one of her own fairies to
+rule Oz, and gave the fairy the name of Ozma.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If you knew this why did you not come to me at the Emerald City and
+tender me your loyalty and obedience?&quot; asked the Ruler of Oz.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I only learned the fact lately, and I've been too busy to leave
+home,&quot; he explained, looking at the floor instead of into Ozma's eyes.
+She knew he had spoken a falsehood, but only said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why did you quarrel with the Skeezers?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It was this way,&quot; began the Su-dic, glad to change the subject. &quot;We
+Flatheads love fish, and as we have no fish on this mountain we would
+sometimes go to the Lake of the Skeezers to catch fish. This made the
+Skeezers angry, for they declared the fish in their lake belonged to
+them and were under their protection and they forbade us to catch
+them. That was very mean and unfriendly in the Skeezers, you must
+admit, and when we paid no attention to their orders they set a guard
+on the shore of the lake to prevent our fishing.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now, my wife, Rora Flathead, having four cans of brains, had become a
+wonderful witch, and fish being brain food, she loved to eat fish
+better than any one of us. So she vowed she would destroy every fish
+in the lake, unless the Skeezers let us catch what we wanted. They
+defied us, so Rora prepared a kettleful of magic poison and went down
+to the lake one night to dump it all in the water and poison the fish.
+It was a clever idea, quite worthy of my dear wife, but the Skeezer
+Queen&mdash;a young lady named Coo-ee-oh&mdash;hid on the bank of the lake and
+taking Rora unawares, transformed her into a Golden Pig. The poison
+was spilled on the ground and wicked Queen Coo-ee-oh, not content with
+her cruel transformation, even took away my wife's four cans of
+brains, so she is now a common grunting pig without even brains enough
+to know her own name.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then,&quot; said Ozma thoughtfully, &quot;the Queen of the Skeezers must be a
+Sorceress.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said the Su-dic, &quot;but she doesn't know much magic, after all.
+She is not as powerful as Rora Flathead was, nor half as powerful as I
+am now, as Queen Coo-ee-oh will discover when we fight our great
+battle and destroy her.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Golden Pig can't be a witch any more, of course,&quot; observed
+Dorothy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No; even had Queen Coo-ee-oh left her the four cans of brains, poor
+Rora, in a pig's shape, couldn't do any witchcraft. A witch has to use
+her fingers, and a pig has only cloven hoofs.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It seems a sad story,&quot; was Ozma's comment, &quot;and all the trouble arose
+because the Flatheads wanted fish that did not belong to them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;As for that,&quot; said the Su-dic, again angry, &quot;I made a law that any of
+my people could catch fish in the Lake of the Skeezers, whenever they
+wanted to. So the trouble was through the Skeezers defying my law.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You can only make laws to govern your own people,&quot; asserted Ozma
+sternly. &quot;I, alone, am empowered to make laws that must be obeyed by
+all the peoples of Oz.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Pooh!&quot; cried the Su-dic scornfully. &quot;You can't make me obey your
+laws, I assure you. I know the extent of your powers, Princess Ozma of
+Oz, and I know that I am more powerful than you are. To prove it I
+shall keep you and your companion prisoners in this mountain until
+after we have fought and conquered the Skeezers. Then, if you promise
+to be good, I may let you go home again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Dorothy was amazed by this effrontery and defiance of the beautiful
+girl Ruler of Oz, whom all until now had obeyed without question. But
+Ozma, still unruffled and dignified, looked at the Su-dic and said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You did not mean that. You are angry and speak unwisely, without
+reflection. I came here from my palace in the Emerald City to prevent
+war and to make peace between you and the Skeezers. I do not approve
+of Queen Coo-ee-oh's action in transforming your wife Rora into a pig,
+nor do I approve of Rora's cruel attempt to poison the fishes in the
+lake. No one has the right to work magic in my dominions without my
+consent, so the Flatheads and the Skeezers have both broken my laws
+&mdash;which must be obeyed.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If you want to make peace,&quot; said the Su-dic, &quot;make the Skeezers
+restore my wife to her proper form and give back her four cans of
+brains. Also make them agree to allow us to catch fish in their lake.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; returned Ozma, &quot;I will not do that, for it would be unjust. I
+will have the Golden Pig again transformed into your wife Rora, and
+give her one can of brains, but the other three cans must be restored
+to those she robbed. Neither may you catch fish in the Lake of the
+Skeezers, for it is their lake and the fish belong to them. This
+arrangement is just and honorable, and you must agree to it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Never!&quot; cried the Su-dic. Just then a pig came running into the room,
+uttering dismal grunts. It was made of solid gold, with joints at the
+bends of the legs and in the neck and jaws. The Golden Pig's eyes were
+rubies, and its teeth were polished ivory.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There!&quot; said the Su-dic, &quot;gaze on the evil work of Queen Coo-ee-oh,
+and then say if you can prevent my making war on the Skeezers. That
+grunting beast was once my wife&mdash;the most beautiful Flathead on our
+mountain and a skillful witch. Now look at her!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Fight the Skeezers, fight the Skeezers, fight the Skeezers!&quot; grunted
+the Golden Pig.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I will fight the Skeezers,&quot; exclaimed the Flathead chief, &quot;and if a
+dozen Ozmas of Oz forbade me I would fight just the same.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not if I can prevent it!&quot; asserted Ozma.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You can't prevent it. But since you threaten me, I'll have you
+confined in the bronze prison until the war is over,&quot; said the Su-dic.
+He whistled and four stout Flatheads, armed with axes and spears,
+entered the room and saluted him. Turning to the men he said: &quot;Take
+these two girls, bind them with wire ropes and cast them into the
+bronze prison.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The four men bowed low and one of them asked:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Where are the two girls, most noble Su-dic?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The Su-dic turned to where Ozma and Dorothy had stood but they had
+vanished!</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h2><a name="CH7" id="CH7">Chapter Seven</a></h2>
+
+<h3>The Magic Isle</h3>
+
+<p>Ozma, seeing it was useless to argue with the Supreme Dictator of the
+Flatheads. had been considering how best to escape from his power. She
+realized that his sorcery might be difficult to overcome, and when he
+threatened to cast Dorothy and her into a bronze prison she slipped
+her hand into her bosom and grasped her silver wand. With the other
+hand she grasped the hand of Dorothy, but these motions were so
+natural that the Su-dic did not notice them. Then when he turned to
+meet his four soldiers, Ozma instantly rendered both herself and
+Dorothy invisible and swiftly led her companion around the group of
+Flatheads and out of the room. As they reached the entry and descended
+the stone steps, Ozma whispered:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let us run, dear! We are invisible, so no one will see us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Dorothy understood and she was a good runner. Ozma had marked the
+place where the grand stairway that led to the plain was located, so
+they made directly for it. Some people were in the paths but these
+they dodged around. One or two Flatheads heard the pattering of
+footsteps of the girls on the stone pavement and stopped with
+bewildered looks to gaze around them, but no one interfered with the
+invisible fugitives.</p>
+
+<p>The Su-dic had lost no time in starting the chase. He and his men ran
+so fast that they might have overtaken the girls before they reached
+the stairway had not the Golden Pig suddenly run across their path.
+The Su-dic tripped over the pig and fell flat, and his four men
+tripped over him and tumbled in a heap. Before they could scramble up
+and reach the mouth of the passage it was too late to stop the two
+girls.</p>
+
+<p>There was a guard on each side of the stairway, but of course they did
+not see Ozma and Dorothy as they sped past and descended the steps.
+Then they had to go up five steps and down another ten, and so on, in
+the same manner in which they had climbed to the top of the mountain.
+Ozma lighted their way with her wand and they kept on without relaxing
+their speed until they reached the bottom. Then they ran to the right
+and turned the corner of the invisible wall just as the Su-dic and his
+followers rushed out of the arched entrance and looked around in an
+attempt to discover the fugitives.</p>
+
+<p>Ozma now knew they were safe, so she told Dorothy to stop and both of
+them sat down on the grass until they could breathe freely and become
+rested from their mad flight.</p>
+
+<p>As for the Su-dic, he realized he was foiled and soon turned and
+climbed his stairs again. He was very angry&mdash;angry with Ozma and
+angry with himself&mdash;because, now that he took time to think, he
+remembered that he knew very well the art of making people invisible,
+and visible again, and if he had only thought of it in time he could
+have used his magic knowledge to make the girls visible and so have
+captured them easily. However, it was now too late for regrets and he
+determined to make preparations at once to march all his forces
+against the Skeezers.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What shall we do next?&quot; asked Dorothy, when they were rested.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let us find the Lake of the Skeezers,&quot; replied Ozma. &quot;From what that
+dreadful Su-dic said I imagine the Skeezers are good people and worthy
+of our friendship, and if we go to them we may help them to defeat the
+Flatheads.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I s'pose we can't stop the war now,&quot; remarked Dorothy reflectively,
+as they walked toward the row of palm trees.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No; the Su-dic is determined to fight the Skeezers, so all we can do
+is to warn them of their danger and help them as much as possible.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Of course you'll punish the Flatheads,&quot; said Dorothy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I do not think the Flathead people are as much to blame as
+their Supreme Dictator,&quot; was the answer. &quot;If he is removed from power
+and his unlawful magic taken from him, the people will probably be
+good and respect the laws of the Land of Oz, and live at peace with
+all their neighbors in the future.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I hope so,&quot; said Dorothy with a sigh of doubt</p>
+
+<p>The palms were not far from the mountain and the girls reached them
+after a brisk walk. The huge trees were set close together, in three
+rows, and had been planted so as to keep people from passing them, but
+the Flatheads had cut a passage through this barrier and Ozma found
+the path and led Dorothy to the other side.</p>
+
+<p>Beyond the palms they discovered a very beautiful scene. Bordered by a
+green lawn was a great lake fully a mile from shore to shore, the
+waters of which were exquisitely blue and sparkling, with little
+wavelets breaking its smooth surface where the breezes touched it. In
+the center of this lake appeared a lovely island, not of great extent
+but almost entirely covered by a huge round building with glass walls
+and a high glass dome which glittered brilliantly in the sunshine.
+Between the glass building and the edge of the island was no grass,
+flowers or shrubbery, but only an expanse of highly polished white
+marble. There were no boats on either shore and no signs of life could
+be seen anywhere on the island.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Dorothy, gazing wistfully at the island, &quot;we've found the
+Lake of the Skeezers and their Magic Isle. I guess the Skeezers are in
+that big glass palace, but we can't get at 'em.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h2><a name="CH8" id="CH8">Chapter Eight</a></h2>
+
+<h3>Queen Coo-ee-oh</h3>
+
+<p>Princess Ozma considered the situation gravely. Then she tied her
+handkerchief to her wand and, standing at the water's edge, waved the
+handkerchief like a flag, as a signal. For a time they could observe
+no response.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't see what good that will do,&quot; said Dorothy. &quot;Even if the
+Skeezers are on that island and see us, and know we're friends, they
+haven't any boats to come and get us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But the Skeezers didn't need boats, as the girls soon discovered. For
+on a sudden an opening appeared at the base of the palace and from the
+opening came a slender shaft of steel, reaching out slowly but
+steadily across the water in the direction of the place where they
+stood. To the girls this steel arrangement looked like a triangle,
+with the base nearest the water. It came toward them in the form of an
+arch, stretching out from the palace wall until its end reached the
+bank and rested there, while the other end still remained on the
+island.</p>
+
+<p>Then they saw that it was a bridge, consisting of a steel footway just
+broad enough to walk on, and two slender guide rails, one on either
+side, which were connected with the footway by steel bars. The bridge
+looked rather frail and Dorothy feared it would not bear their weight,
+but Ozma at once called, &quot;Come on!&quot; and started to walk across,
+holding fast to the rail on either side. So Dorothy summoned her
+courage and followed after. Before Ozma had taken three steps she
+halted and so forced Dorothy to halt, for the bridge was again moving
+and returning to the island.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We need not walk after all,&quot; said Ozma. So they stood still in their
+places and let the steel bridge draw them onward. Indeed, the bridge
+drew them well into the glass-domed building which covered the island,
+and soon they found themselves standing in a marble room where two
+handsomely dressed young men stood on a platform to receive them.</p>
+
+<p>Ozma at once stepped from the end of the bridge to the marble
+platform, followed by Dorothy, and then the bridge disappeared with a
+slight clang of steel and a marble slab covered the opening from which
+it had emerged.</p>
+
+<p>The two young men bowed profoundly to Ozma, and one of them said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Queen Coo-ee-oh bids you welcome, O Strangers. Her Majesty is waiting
+to receive you in her palace.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Lead on,&quot; replied Ozma with dignity.</p>
+
+<p>But instead of &quot;leading on,&quot; the platform of marble began to rise,
+carrying them upward through a square hole above which just fitted it.
+A moment later they found themselves within the great glass dome that
+covered almost all of the island.</p>
+
+<p>Within this dome was a little village, with houses, streets, gardens
+and parks. The houses were of colored marbles, prettily designed, with
+many stained-glass windows, and the streets and gardens seemed well
+cared for. Exactly under the center of the lofty dome was a small park
+filled with brilliant flowers, with an elaborate fountain, and facing
+this park stood a building larger and more imposing than the others.
+Toward this building the young men escorted Ozma and Dorothy.</p>
+
+<p>On the streets and in the doorways or open windows of the houses were
+men, women and children, all richly dressed. These were much like
+other people in different parts of the Land of Oz, except that instead
+of seeming merry and contented they all wore expressions of much
+solemnity or of nervous irritation. They had beautiful homes, splendid
+clothes, and ample food, but Dorothy at once decided something was
+wrong with their lives and that they were not happy. She said nothing,
+however, but looked curiously at the Skeezers.</p>
+
+<p>At the entrance of the palace Ozma and Dorothy were met by two other
+young men, in uniform and armed with queer weapons that seemed about
+halfway between pistols and guns, but were like neither. Their
+conductors bowed and left them, and the two in uniforms led the girls
+into the palace.</p>
+
+<p>In a beautiful throne room, surrounded by a dozen or more young men
+and women, sat the Queen of the Skeezers, Coo-ee-oh. She was a girl
+who looked older than Ozma or Dorothy&mdash;fifteen or sixteen, at least
+&mdash;and although she was elaborately dressed as if she were going to a
+ball she was too thin and plain of feature to be pretty. But evidently
+Queen Coo-ee-oh did not realize this fact, for her air and manner
+betrayed her as proud and haughty and with a high regard for her own
+importance. Dorothy at once decided she was &quot;snippy&quot; and that she
+would not like Queen Coo-ee-oh as a companion.</p>
+
+<p>The Queen's hair was as black as her skin was white and her eyes were
+black, too. The eyes, as she calmly examined Ozma and Dorothy, had a
+suspicious and unfriendly look in them, but she said quietly:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I know who you are, for I have consulted my Magic Oracle, which told
+me that one calls herself Princess Ozma, the Ruler of all the Land of
+Oz, and the other is Princess Dorothy of Oz, who came from a country
+called Kansas. I know nothing of the Land of Oz, and I know nothing of
+Kansas.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, this is the Land of Oz!&quot; cried Dorothy. &quot;It's a part of the Land
+of Oz, anyhow, whether you know it or not.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, in-deed!&quot; answered Queen Coo-ee-oh, scornfully. &quot;I suppose you
+will claim next that this Princess Ozma, ruling the Land of Oz, rules
+me!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Of course,&quot; returned Dorothy. &quot;There's no doubt of it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The Queen turned to Ozma.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do you dare make such a claim?&quot; she asked.</p>
+
+<p>By this time Ozma had made up her mind as to the character of this
+haughty and disdainful creature, whose self-pride evidently led her to
+believe herself superior to all others.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I did not come here to quarrel with your Majesty,&quot; said the girl
+Ruler of Oz, quietly. &quot;What and who I am is well established, and my
+authority comes from the Fairy Queen Lurline, of whose band I was a
+member when Lurline made all Oz a Fairyland. There are several
+countries and several different peoples in this broad land, each of
+which has its separate rulers, Kings, Emperors and Queens. But all
+these render obedience to my laws and acknowledge me as the supreme
+Ruler.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If other Kings and Queens are fools that does not interest me in the
+least,&quot; replied Coo-ee-oh, disdainfully. &quot;In the Land of the Skeezers
+I alone am supreme. You are impudent to think I would defer to you&mdash;or
+to anyone else.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let us not speak of this now, please,&quot; answered Ozma. &quot;Your island is
+in danger, for a powerful foe is preparing to destroy it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Pah! The Flatheads. I do not fear them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Their Supreme Dictator is a Sorcerer.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;My magic is greater than his. Let the Flatheads come! They will never
+return to their barren mountain-top. I will see to that.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Ozma did not like this attitude, for it meant that the Skeezers were
+eager to fight the Flatheads, and Ozma's object in coming here was to
+prevent fighting and induce the two quarrelsome neighbors to make
+peace. She was also greatly disappointed in Coo-ee-oh, for the reports
+of Su-dic had led her to imagine the Queen more just and honorable
+than were the Flatheads. Indeed Ozma reflected that the girl might be
+better at heart than her self-pride and overbearing manner indicated,
+and in any event it would be wise not to antagonize her but to try to
+win her friendship.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I do not like wars, your Majesty,&quot; said Ozma. &quot;In the Emerald City,
+where I rule thousands of people, and in the countries near to the
+Emerald City, where thousands more acknowledge my rule, there is no
+army at all, because there is no quarreling and no need to fight. If
+differences arise between my people, they come to me and I judge the
+cases and award justice to all. So, when I learned there might be war
+between two faraway people of Oz, I came here to settle the dispute
+and adjust the quarrel.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No one asked you to come,&quot; declared Queen Coo-ee-oh. &quot;It is my
+business to settle this dispute, not yours. You say my island is a
+part of the Land of Oz, which you rule, but that is all nonsense, for
+I've never heard of the Land of Oz, nor of you. You say you are a
+fairy, and that fairies gave you command over me. I don't believe it!
+What I do believe is that you are an impostor and have come here to
+stir up trouble among my people, who are already becoming difficult to
+manage. You two girls may even be spies of the vile Flatheads, for all
+I know, and may be trying to trick me. But understand this,&quot; she
+added, proudly rising from her jeweled throne to confront them, &quot;I
+have magic powers greater than any fairy possesses, and greater than
+any Flathead possesses. I am a Krumbic Witch&mdash;the only Krumbic Witch
+in the world&mdash;and I fear the magic of no other creature that exists!
+You say you rule thousands. I rule one hundred and one Skeezers. But
+every one of them trembles at my word. Now that Ozma of Oz and
+Princess Dorothy are here, I shall rule one hundred and three
+subjects, for you also shall bow before my power. More than that, in
+ruling you I also rule the thousands you say you rule.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Dorothy was very indignant at this speech.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I've got a pink kitten that sometimes talks like that,&quot; she said,
+&quot;but after I give her a good whipping she doesn't think she's so high
+and mighty after all. If you only knew who Ozma is you'd be scared to
+death to talk to her like that!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Queen Coo-ee-oh gave the girl a supercilious look. Then she turned
+again to Ozma.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I happen to know,&quot; said she, &quot;that the Flatheads intend to attack us
+tomorrow, but we are ready for them. Until the battle is over, I shall
+keep you two strangers prisoners on my island, from which there is no
+chance for you to escape.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>She turned and looked around the band of courtiers who stood silently
+around her throne.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Lady Aurex,&quot; she continued, singling out one of the young women,
+&quot;take these children to your house and care for them, giving them food
+and lodging. You may allow them to wander anywhere under the Great
+Dome, for they are harmless. After I have attended to the Flatheads I
+will consider what next to do with these foolish girls.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>She resumed her seat and the Lady Aurex bowed low and said in a humble
+manner:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I obey your Majesty's commands.&quot; Then to Ozma and Dorothy she added,
+&quot;Follow me,&quot; and turned to leave the throne room.</p>
+
+<p>Dorothy looked to see what Ozma would do. To her surprise and a little
+to her disappointment Ozma turned and followed Lady Aurex. So Dorothy
+trailed after them, but not without giving a parting, haughty look
+toward Queen Coo-ee-oh, who had her face turned the other way and did
+not see the disapproving look.</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h2><a name="CH9" id="CH9">Chapter Nine</a></h2>
+
+<h3>Lady Aurex</h3>
+
+<p>Lady Aurex led Ozma and Dorothy along a street to a pretty marble
+house near to one edge of the great glass dome that covered the
+village. She did not speak to the girls until she had ushered them
+into a pleasant room, comfortably furnished, nor did any of the solemn
+people they met on the street venture to speak.</p>
+
+<p>When they were seated Lady Aurex asked if they were hungry, and
+finding they were summoned a maid and ordered food to be brought.</p>
+
+<p>This Lady Aurex looked to be about twenty years old, although in the
+Land of Oz where people have never changed in appearance since the
+fairies made it a fairyland&mdash;where no one grows old or dies&mdash;it is
+always difficult to say how many years anyone has lived. She had a
+pleasant, attractive face, even though it was solemn and sad as the
+faces of all Skeezers seemed to be, and her costume was rich and
+elaborate, as became a lady in waiting upon the Queen.</p>
+
+<p>Ozma had observed Lady Aurex closely and now asked her in a gentle
+tone:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do you, also, believe me to be an impostor?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I dare not say,&quot; replied Lady Aurex in a low tone.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why are you afraid to speak freely?&quot; inquired Ozma.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Queen punishes us if we make remarks that she does not like.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Are we not alone then, in this house?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Queen can hear everything that is spoken on this island&mdash;even the
+slightest whisper,&quot; declared Lady Aurex. &quot;She is a wonderful witch, as
+she has told you, and it is folly to criticise her or disobey her
+commands.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Ozma looked into her eyes and saw that she would like to say more if
+she dared. So she drew from her bosom her silver wand, and having
+muttered a magic phrase in a strange tongue, she left the room and
+walked slowly around the outside of the house, making a complete
+circle and waving her wand in mystic curves as she walked. Lady Aurex
+watched her curiously and, when Ozma had again entered the room and
+seated herself, she asked:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What have you done?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I've enchanted this house in such a manner that Queen Coo-ee-oh, with
+all her witchcraft, cannot hear one word we speak within the magic
+circle I have made,&quot; replied Ozma. &quot;We may now speak freely and as
+loudly as we wish, without fear of the Queen's anger.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Lady Aurex brightened at this.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Can I trust you?&quot; she asked.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ev'rybody trusts Ozma,&quot; exclaimed Dorothy. &quot;She is true and honest,
+and your wicked Queen will be sorry she insulted the powerful Ruler of
+all the Land of Oz.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Queen does not know me yet,&quot; said Ozma, &quot;but I want you to know
+me, Lady Aurex, and I want you to tell me why you, and all the
+Skeezers, are unhappy. Do not fear Coo-ee-oh's anger, for she cannot
+hear a word we say, I assure you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Lady Aurex was thoughtful a moment; then she said: &quot;I shall trust you,
+Princess Ozma, for I believe you are what you say you are&mdash;our supreme
+Ruler. If you knew the dreadful punishments our Queen inflicts upon
+us, you would not wonder we are so unhappy. The Skeezers are not bad
+people; they do not care to quarrel and fight, even with their enemies
+the Flatheads; but they are so cowed and fearful of Coo-ee-oh that
+they obey her slightest word, rather than suffer her anger.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Hasn't she any heart, then?&quot; asked Dorothy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;She never displays mercy. She loves no one but herself,&quot; asserted
+Lady Aurex, but she trembled as she said it, as if afraid even yet of
+her terrible Queen.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's pretty bad,&quot; said Dorothy, shaking her head gravely. &quot;I see
+you've a lot to do here, Ozma, in this forsaken corner of the Land of
+Oz. First place, you've got to take the magic away from Queen
+Coo-ee-oh, and from that awful Su-dic, too. My idea is that neither of
+them is fit to rule anybody, 'cause they're cruel and hateful. So
+you'll have to give the Skeezers and Flatheads new rulers and teach
+all their people that they're part of the Land of Oz and must obey,
+above all, the lawful Ruler, Ozma of Oz. Then, when you've done that,
+we can go back home again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Ozma smiled at her little friend's earnest counsel, but Lady Aurex
+said in an anxious tone:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am surprised that you suggest these reforms while you are yet
+prisoners on this island and in Coo-ee-oh's power. That these things
+should be done, there is no doubt, but just now a dreadful war is
+likely to break out, and frightful things may happen to us all. Our
+Queen has such conceit that she thinks she can overcome the Su-dic and
+his people, but it is said Su-dic's magic is very powerful, although
+not as great as that possessed by his wife Rora, before Coo-ee-oh
+transformed her into a Golden Pig.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't blame her very much for doing that,&quot; remarked Dorothy, &quot;for
+the Flatheads were wicked to try to catch your beautiful fish and the
+Witch Rora wanted to poison all the fishes in the lake.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do you know the reason?&quot; asked the Lady Aurex.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't s'pose there was any reason, 'cept just wickedness,&quot; replied
+Dorothy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Tell us the reason,&quot; said Ozma earnestly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, your Majesty, once&mdash;a long time ago&mdash;the Flatheads and the
+Skeezers were friendly. They visited our island and we visited their
+mountain, and everything was pleasant between the two peoples. At that
+time the Flatheads were ruled by three Adepts in Sorcery, beautiful
+girls who were not Flatheads, but had wandered to the Flat Mountain
+and made their home there. These three Adepts used their magic only
+for good, and the mountain people gladly made them their rulers. They
+taught the Flatheads how to use their canned brains and how to work
+metals into clothing that would never wear out, and many other things
+that added to their happiness and content.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Coo-ee-oh was our Queen then, as now, but she knew no magic and so
+had nothing to be proud of. But the three Adepts were very kind to
+Coo-ee-oh. They built for us this wonderful dome of glass and our
+houses of marble and taught us to make beautiful clothing and many
+other things. Coo-ee-oh pretended to be very grateful for these
+favors, but it seems that all the time she was jealous of the three
+Adepts and secretly tried to discover their arts of magic. In this she
+was more clever than anyone suspected. She invited the three Adepts to
+a banquet one day, and while they were feasting Coo-ee-oh stole their
+charms and magical instruments and transformed them into three
+fishes&mdash;a gold fish, a silver fish and a bronze fish. While the poor
+fishes were gasping and flopping helplessly on the floor of the
+banquet room one of them said reproachfully: 'You will be punished for
+this, Coo-ee-oh, for if one of us dies or is destroyed, you will
+become shrivelled and helpless, and all your stolen magic will depart
+from you.' Frightened by this threat, Coo-ee-oh at once caught up the
+three fish and ran with them to the shore of the lake, where she cast
+them into the water. This revived the three Adepts and they swam away
+and disappeared.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I, myself, witnessed this shocking scene,&quot; continued Lady Aurex, &quot;and
+so did many other Skeezers. The news was carried to the Flatheads, who
+then turned from friends to enemies. The Su-dic and his wife Rora were
+the only ones on the mountain who were glad the three Adepts had been
+lost to them, and they at once became Rulers of the Flatheads and
+stole their canned brains from others to make themselves the more
+powerful. Some of the Adepts' magic tools had been left on the
+mountain, and these Rora seized and by the use of them she became a
+witch.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The result of Coo-ee-oh's treachery was to make both the Skeezers and
+the Flatheads miserable instead of happy. Not only were the Su-dic and
+his wife cruel to their people, but our Queen at once became proud and
+arrogant and treated us very unkindly. All the Skeezers knew she had
+stolen her magic powers and so she hated us and made us humble
+ourselves before her and obey her slightest word. If we disobeyed, or
+did not please her, or if we talked about her when we were in our own
+homes she would have us dragged to the whipping post in her palace and
+lashed with knotted cords. That is why we fear her so greatly.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This story filled Ozma's heart with sorrow and Dorothy's heart with
+indignation.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I now understand,&quot; said Ozma, &quot;why the fishes in the lake have
+brought about war between the Skeezers and the Flatheads.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; Lady Aurex answered, &quot;now that you know the story it is easy to
+understand. The Su-dic and his wife came to our lake hoping to catch
+the silver fish, or gold fish, or bronze fish&mdash;any one of them would
+do&mdash;and by destroying it deprive Coo-ee-oh of her magic. Then they
+could easily conquer her. Also they had another reason for wanting to
+catch the fish&mdash;they feared that in some way the three Adepts might
+regain their proper forms and then they would be sure to return to the
+mountain and punish Rora and the Su-dic. That was why Rora finally
+tried to poison all the fishes in the lake, at the time Coo-ee-oh
+transformed her into a Golden Pig. Of course this attempt to destroy
+the fishes frightened the Queen, for her safety lies in keeping the
+three fishes alive.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I s'pose Coo-ee-oh will fight the Flatheads with all her might,&quot;
+observed Dorothy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And with all her magic,&quot; added Ozma, thoughtfully.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I do not see how the Flatheads can get to this island to hurt us,&quot;
+said Lady Aurex.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They have bows and arrows, and I guess they mean to shoot the arrows
+at your big dome, and break all the glass in it,&quot; suggested Dorothy.</p>
+
+<p>But Lady Aurex shook her head with a smile.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They cannot do that,&quot; she replied.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why not?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I dare not tell you why, but if the Flatheads come to-morrow morning
+you will yourselves see the reason.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I do not think they will attempt to harm the island,&quot; Ozma declared.
+&quot;I believe they will first attempt to destroy the fishes, by poison or
+some other means. If they succeed in that, the conquest of the island
+will not be difficult.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They have no boats,&quot; said Lady Aurex, &quot;and Coo-ee-oh, who has long
+expected this war, has been preparing for it in many astonishing ways.
+I almost wish the Flatheads would conquer us, for then we would be
+free from our dreadful Queen; but I do not wish to see the three
+transformed fishes destroyed, for in them lies our only hope of future
+happiness.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ozma will take care of you, whatever happens,&quot; Dorothy assured her.
+But the Lady Aurex, not knowing the extent of Ozma's power&mdash;which was,
+in fact, not so great as Dorothy imagined&mdash;could not take much comfort
+in this promise.</p>
+
+<p>It was evident there would be exciting times on the morrow, if the
+Flatheads really attacked the Skeezers of the Magic Isle.</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h2><a name="CH10" id="CH10">Chapter Ten</a></h2>
+
+<h3>Under Water</h3>
+
+<p>When night fell all the interior of the Great Dome, streets and
+houses, became lighted with brilliant incandescent lamps, which
+rendered it bright as day. Dorothy thought the island must look
+beautiful by night from the outer shore of the lake. There was revelry
+and feasting in the Queen's palace, and the music of the royal band
+could be plainly heard in Lady Aurex's house, where Ozma and Dorothy
+remained with their hostess and keeper. They were prisoners, but
+treated with much consideration.</p>
+
+<p>Lady Aurex gave them a nice supper and when they wished to retire
+showed them to a pretty room with comfortable beds and wished them a
+good night and pleasant dreams.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What do you think of all this, Ozma?&quot; Dorothy anxiously inquired when
+they were alone.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am glad we came,&quot; was the reply, &quot;for although there may be
+mischief done to-morrow, it was necessary I should know about these
+people, whose leaders are wild and lawless and oppress their subjects
+with injustice and cruelties. My task, therefore, is to liberate the
+Skeezers and the Flatheads and secure for them freedom and happiness.
+I have no doubt I can accomplish this in time.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Just now, though, we're in a bad fix,&quot; asserted Dorothy. &quot;If Queen
+Coo-ee-oh conquers to-morrow, she won't be nice to us, and if the
+Su-dic conquers, he'll be worse.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do not worry, dear,&quot; said Ozma, &quot;I do not think we are in danger,
+whatever happens, and the result of our adventure is sure to be good.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Dorothy was not worrying, especially. She had confidence in her
+friend, the fairy Princess of Oz, and she enjoyed the excitement of
+the events in which she was taking part. So she crept into bed and
+fell asleep as easily as if she had been in her own cosy room in
+Ozma's palace.</p>
+
+<p>A sort of grating, grinding sound awakened her. The whole island
+seemed to tremble and sway, as it might do in an earthquake. Dorothy
+sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes to get the sleep out of them, and then
+found it was daybreak.</p>
+
+<p>Ozma was hurriedly dressing herself.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What is it?&quot; asked Dorothy, jumping out of bed.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'm not sure,&quot; answered Ozma &quot;but it feels as if the island is
+sinking.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>As soon as possible they finished dressing, while the creaking and
+swaying continued. Then they rushed into the living room of the house
+and found Lady Aurex, fully dressed, awaiting them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do not be alarmed,&quot; said their hostess. &quot;Coo-ee-oh has decided to
+submerge the island, that is all. But it proves the Flatheads are
+coming to attack us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What do you mean by sub-sub-merging the island?&quot; asked Dorothy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Come here and see,&quot; was the reply.</p>
+
+<p>Lady Aurex led them to a window which faced the side of the great dome
+which covered all the village, and they could see that the island was
+indeed sinking, for the water of the lake was already half way up the
+side of the dome. Through the glass could be seen swimming fishes, and
+tall stalks of swaying seaweeds, for the water was clear as crystal
+and through it they could distinguish even the farther shore of the
+lake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Flatheads are not here yet,&quot; said Lady Aurex. &quot;They will come
+soon, but not until all of this dome is under the surface of the
+water.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Won't the dome leak?&quot; Dorothy inquired anxiously.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, indeed.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Was the island ever sub-sub-sunk before?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, yes; on several occasions. But Coo-ee-oh doesn't care to do that
+often, for it requires a lot of hard work to operate the machinery.
+The dome was built so that the island could disappear. I think,&quot; she
+continued, &quot;that our Queen fears the Flatheads will attack the island
+and try to break the glass of the dome.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, if we're under water, they can't fight us, and we can't fight
+them,&quot; asserted Dorothy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They could kill the fishes, however,&quot; said Ozma gravely</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We have ways to fight, also, even though our island is under water,&quot;
+claimed Lady Aurex. &quot;I cannot tell you all our secrets, but this
+island is full of surprises. Also our Queen's magic is astonishing.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Did she steal it all from the three Adepts in Sorcery that are now
+fishes?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;She stole the knowledge and the magic tools, but she has used them as
+the three Adepts never would have done.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>By this time the top of the dome was quite under water and suddenly
+the island stopped sinking and became stationary.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;See!&quot; cried Lady Aurex, pointing to the shore. &quot;The Flatheads have
+come.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>On the bank, which was now far above their heads, a crowd of dark
+figures could be seen.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now let us see what Coo-ee-oh will do to oppose them,&quot; continued Lady
+Aurex, in a voice that betrayed her excitement.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>The Flatheads, pushing their way through the line of palm trees, had
+reached the shore of the lake just as the top of the island's dome
+disappeared beneath the surface. The water now flowed from shore to
+shore, but through the clear water the dome was still visible and the
+houses of the Skeezers could be dimly seen through the panes of glass.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Good!&quot; exclaimed the Su-dic, who had armed all his followers and had
+brought with him two copper vessels, which he carefully set down upon
+the ground beside him. &quot;If Coo-ee-oh wants to hide instead of fighting
+our job will be easy, for in one of these copper vessels I have enough
+poison to kill every fish in the lake.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Kill them, then, while we have time, and then we can go home again,&quot;
+advised one of the chief officers.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not yet,&quot; objected the Su-dic. &quot;The Queen of the Skeezers has defied
+me, and I want to get her into my power, as well as to destroy her
+magic. She transformed my poor wife into a Golden Pig, and I must have
+revenge for that, whatever else we do.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Look out!&quot; suddenly exclaimed the officers, pointing into the lake;
+&quot;something's going to happen.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>From the submerged dome a door opened and something black shot swiftly
+out into the water. The door instantly closed behind it and the dark
+object cleaved its way through the water, without rising to the
+surface, directly toward the place where the Flatheads were standing.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What is that?&quot; Dorothy asked the Lady Aurex.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That is one of the Queen's submarines,&quot; was the reply. &quot;It is all
+enclosed, and can move under water. Coo-ee-oh has several of these
+boats which are kept in little rooms in the basement under our
+village. When the island is submerged, the Queen uses these boats to
+reach the shore, and I believe she now intends to fight the Flatheads
+with them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The Su-dic and his people knew nothing of Coo-ee-oh's submarines, so
+they watched with surprise as the under-water boat approached them.
+When it was quite near the shore it rose to the surface and the top
+parted and fell back, disclosing a boat full of armed Skeezers. At the
+head was the Queen, standing up in the bow and holding in one hand a
+coil of magic rope that gleamed like silver.</p>
+
+<p>The boat halted and Coo-ee-oh drew back her arm to throw the silver
+rope toward the Su-dic, who was now but a few feet from her. But the
+wily Flathead leader quickly realized his danger and before the Queen
+could throw the rope he caught up one of the copper vessels and dashed
+its contents full in her face!</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h2><a name="CH11" id="CH11">Chapter Eleven</a></h2>
+
+<h3>The Conquest of the Skeezers</h3>
+
+<p>Queen Coo-ee-oh dropped the rope, tottered and fell headlong into the
+water, sinking beneath the surface, while the Skeezers in the
+submarine assist her and only stared at the ripples in the water where
+she had disappeared. A moment later there arose to the surface a
+beautiful White Swan. This Swan was of large size, very gracefully
+formed, and scattered all over its white feathers were tiny diamonds,
+so thickly placed that as the rays of the morning sun fell upon them
+the entire body of the Swan glistened like one brilliant diamond. The
+head of the Diamond Swan had a bill of polished gold and its eyes were
+two sparkling amethysts.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Hooray!&quot; cried the Su-dic, dancing up and down with wicked glee. &quot;My
+poor wife, Rora, is avenged at last. You made her a Golden Pig,
+Coo-ee-oh, and now I have made you a Diamond Swan. Float on your lake
+forever, if you like, for your web feet can do no more magic and you
+are as powerless as the Pig you made of my wife!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Villain! Scoundrel!&quot; croaked the Diamond Swan. &quot;You will be punished
+for this. Oh, what a fool I was to let you enchant me!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;A fool you were, and a fool you are!&quot; laughed the Su-dic, dancing
+madly in his delight. And then he carelessly tipped over the other
+copper vessel with his heel and its contents spilled on the sands and
+were lost to the last drop.</p>
+
+<p>The Su-dic stopped short and looked at the overturned vessel with a
+rueful countenance.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's too bad&mdash;too bad!&quot; he exclaimed sorrowfully. &quot;I've lost all
+the poison I had to kill the fishes with, and I can't make any more
+because only my wife knew the secret of it, and she is now a foolish
+Pig and has forgotten all her magic.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very well,&quot; said the Diamond Swan scornfully, as she floated upon the
+water and swam gracefully here and there. &quot;I'm glad to see you are
+foiled. Your punishment is just beginning, for although you have
+enchanted me and taken away my powers of sorcery you have still the
+three magic fishes to deal with, and they'll destroy you in time, mark
+my words.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The Su-dic stared at the Swan a moment. Then he yelled to his men:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Shoot her! Shoot the saucy bird!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They let fly some arrows at the Diamond Swan, but she dove under the
+water and the missiles fell harmless. When Coo-ce-oh rose to the
+surface she was far from the shore and she swiftly swam across the
+lake to where no arrows or spears could reach her.</p>
+
+<p>The Su-dic rubbed his chin and thought what to do next. Near by
+floated the submarine in which the Queen had come, but the Skeezers
+who were in it were puzzled what to do with themselves. Perhaps they
+were not sorry their cruel mistress had been transformed into a
+Diamond Swan, but the transformation had left them quite helpless. The
+under-water boat was not operated by machinery, but by certain mystic
+words uttered by Coo-ee-oh. They didn't know how to submerge it, or
+how to make the water-tight shield cover them again, or how to make
+the boat go back to the castle, or make it enter the little basement
+room where it was usually kept. As a matter of fact, they were now
+shut out of their village under the Great Dome and could not get back
+again. So one of the men called to the Supreme Dictator of the
+Flatheads, saying:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Please make us prisoners and take us to your mountain, and feed and
+keep us, for we have nowhere to go.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Then the Su-dic laughed and answered:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not so. I can't be bothered by caring for a lot of stupid Skeezers.
+Stay where you are, or go wherever you please, so long as you keep
+away from our mountain.&quot; He turned to his men and added: &quot;We have
+conquered Queen Coo-ee-oh and made her a helpless swan. The Skeezers
+are under water and may stay there. So, having won the war, let us go
+home again and make merry and feast, having after many years proved
+the Flatheads to be greater and more powerful than the Skeezers.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So the Flatheads marched away and passed through the row of palms and
+went back to their mountain, where the Su-dic and a few of his
+officers feasted and all the others were forced to wait on them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'm sorry we couldn't have roast pig,&quot; said the Su-dic, &quot;but as the
+only pig we have is made of gold, we can't eat her. Also the Golden
+Pig happens to be my wife, and even were she not gold I am sure she
+would be too tough to eat.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h2><a name="CH12" id="CH12">Chapter Twelve</a></h2>
+
+<h3>The Diamond Swan</h3>
+
+<p>When the Flatheads had gone away the Diamond Swan swam back to the
+boat and one of the young Skeezers named Ervic said to her eagerly:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How can we get back to the island, your Majesty?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Am I not beautiful?&quot; asked Coo-ee-oh, arching her neck gracefully and
+spreading her diamond-sprinkled wings. &quot;I can see my reflection in the
+water, and I'm sure there is no bird nor beast, nor human as
+magnificent as I am!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How shall we get back to the island, your Majesty?&quot; pleaded Ervic.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;When my fame spreads throughout the land, people will travel from all
+parts of this lake to look upon my loveliness,&quot; said Coo-ee-oh,
+shaking her feathers to make the diamonds glitter more brilliantly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But, your Majesty, we must go home and we do not know how to get
+there,&quot; Ervic persisted.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;My eyes,&quot; remarked the Diamond Swan, &quot;are wonderfully blue and bright
+and will charm all beholders.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Tell us how to make the boat go&mdash;how to get back into the island,&quot;
+begged Ervic and the others cried just as earnestly: &quot;Tell us,
+Coo-ee-oh; tell us!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know,&quot; replied the Queen in a careless tone.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You are a magic-worker, a sorceress, a witch!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I was, of course, when I was a girl,&quot; she said, bending her head over
+the clear water to catch her reflection in it; &quot;but now I've forgotten
+all such foolish things as magic. Swans are lovelier than girls,
+especially when they're sprinkled with diamonds. Don't you think so?&quot;
+And she gracefully swam away, without seeming to care whether they
+answered or not.</p>
+
+<p>Ervic and his companions were in despair. They saw plainly that
+Coo-ee-oh could not or would not help them. The former Queen had no
+further thought for her island, her people, or her wonderful magic;
+she was only intent on admiring her own beauty.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Truly,&quot; said Ervic, in a gloomy voice, &quot;the Flatheads have conquered
+us!&quot;</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>Some of these events had been witnessed by Ozma and Dorothy and Lady
+Aurex, who had left the house and gone close to the glass of the dome,
+in order to see what was going on. Many of the Skeezers had also
+crowded against the dome, wondering what would happen next. Although
+their vision was to an extent blurred by the water and the necessity
+of looking upward at an angle, they had observed the main points of
+the drama enacted above. They saw Queen Coo-ee-oh's submarine come to
+the surface and open; they saw the Queen standing erect to throw her
+magic rope; they saw her sudden transformation into a Diamond Swan,
+and a cry of amazement went up from the Skeezers inside the dome.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Good!&quot; exclaimed Dorothy. &quot;I hate that old Su-dic, but I'm glad
+Coo-ee-oh is punished.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;This is a dreadful misfortune!&quot; cried Lady Aurex, pressing her hands
+upon her heart.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; agreed Ozma, nodding her head thoughtfully; &quot;Coo-ee-oh's
+misfortune will prove a terrible blow to her people.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What do you mean by that?&quot; asked Dorothy in surprise. &quot;Seems to me
+the Skeezers are in luck to lose their cruel Queen.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If that were all you would be right,&quot; responded Lady Aurex; &quot;and if
+the island were above water it would not be so serious. But here we
+all are, at the bottom of the lake, and fast prisoners in this dome.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Can't you raise the island?&quot; inquired Dorothy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No. Only Coo-ee-oh knew how to do that,&quot; was the answer.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We can try,&quot; insisted Dorothy. &quot;If it can be made to go down, it can
+be made to come up. The machinery is still here, I suppose.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes; but the machinery works by magic, and Coo-ee-oh would never
+share her secret power with any one of us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Dorothy's face grew grave; but she was thinking.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ozma knows a lot of magic,&quot; she said.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But not that kind of magic,&quot; Ozma replied.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Can't you learn how, by looking at the machinery?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'm afraid not, my dear. It isn't fairy magic at all; it is
+witchcraft.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Dorothy, turning to Lady Aurex, &quot;you say there are other
+sub-sub-sinking boats. We can get in one of those, and shoot out to
+the top of the water, like Coo-ee-oh did, and so escape. And then we
+can help to rescue all the Skeezers down here.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No one knows how to work the under-water boats but the Queen,&quot;
+declared Lady Aurex.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Isn't there any door or window in this dome that we could open?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No; and, if there were, the water would rush in to flood the dome,
+and we could not get out.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Skeezers,&quot; said Ozma, &quot;could not drown; they only get wet and
+soggy and in that condition they would be very uncomfortable and
+unhappy. But you are a mortal girl, Dorothy, and if your Magic Belt
+protected you from death you would have to lie forever at the bottom
+of the lake.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, I'd rather die quickly,&quot; asserted the little girl. &quot;But there are
+doors in the basement that open&mdash;to let out the bridges and the
+boats&mdash;and that would not flood the dome, you know.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Those doors open by a magic word, and only Coo-ee-oh knows the word
+that must be uttered,&quot; said Lady Aurex.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Dear me!&quot; exclaimed Dorothy, &quot;that dreadful Queen's witchcraft upsets
+all my plans to escape. I guess I'll give it up, Ozma, and let you
+save us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Ozma smiled, but her smile was not so cheerful as usual. The Princess
+of Oz found herself confronted with a serious problem, and although
+she had no thought of despairing she realized that the Skeezers and
+their island, as well as Dorothy and herself, were in grave trouble
+and that unless she could find a means to save them they would be lost
+to the Land of Oz for all future time.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;In such a dilemma,&quot; said she, musingly, &quot;nothing is gained by haste.
+Careful thought may aid us, and so may the course of events. The
+unexpected is always likely to happen, and cheerful patience is better
+than reckless action.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;All right,&quot; returned Dorothy; &quot;take your time, Ozma; there's no
+hurry. How about some breakfast, Lady Aurex?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Their hostess led them back to the house, where she ordered her
+trembling servants to prepare and serve breakfast. All the Skeezers
+were frightened and anxious over the transformation of their Queen
+into a swan. Coo-ee-oh was feared and hated, but they had depended on
+her magic to conquer the Flatheads and she was the only one who could
+raise their island to the surface of the lake again.</p>
+
+<p>Before breakfast was over several of the leading Skeezers came to
+Aurex to ask her advice and to question Princess Ozma, of whom they
+knew nothing except that she claimed to be a fairy and the Ruler of
+all the land, including the Lake of the Skeezers.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If what you told Queen Coo-ee-oh was the truth,&quot; they said to her,
+&quot;you are our lawful mistress, and we may depend on you to get us out
+of our difficulties.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I will try to do that&quot; Ozma graciously assured them, &quot;but you must
+remember that the powers of fairies are granted them to bring comfort
+and happiness to all who appeal to them. On the contrary, such magic
+as Coo-ee-oh knew and practiced is unlawful witchcraft and her arts
+are such as no fairy would condescend to use. However, it is sometimes
+necessary to consider evil in order to accomplish good, and perhaps by
+studying Coo-ee-oh's tools and charms of witchcraft I may be able to
+save us. Do you promise to accept me as your Ruler and to obey my
+commands?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They promised willingly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then,&quot; continued Ozma, &quot;I will go to Coo-ee-oh's palace and take
+possession of it. Perhaps what I find there will be of use to me. In
+the meantime tell all the Skeezers to fear nothing, but have patience.
+Let them return to their homes and perform their daily tasks as usual.
+Coo-ee-oh's loss may not prove a misfortune, but rather a blessing.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This speech cheered the Skeezers amazingly. Really, they had no one
+now to depend upon but Ozma, and in spite of their dangerous position
+their hearts were lightened by the transformation and absence of their
+cruel Queen.</p>
+
+<p>They got out their brass band and a grand procession escorted Ozma and
+Dorothy to the palace, where all of Coo-ee-oh's former servants were
+eager to wait upon them. Ozma invited Lady Aurex to stay at the palace
+also, for she knew all about the Skeezers and their island and had
+also been a favorite of the former Queen, so her advice and
+information were sure to prove valuable.</p>
+
+<p>Ozma was somewhat disappointed in what she found in the palace. One
+room of Coo-ee-oh's private suite was entirely devoted to the practice
+of witchcraft, and here were countless queer instruments and jars of
+ointments and bottles of potions labeled with queer names, and strange
+machines that Ozma could not guess the use of, and pickled toads and
+snails and lizards, and a shelf of books that were written in blood,
+but in a language which the Ruler of Oz did not know.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I do not see,&quot; said Ozma to Dorothy, who accompanied her in her
+search, &quot;how Coo-ee-oh knew the use of the magic tools she stole from
+the three Adept Witches. Moreover, from all reports these Adepts
+practiced only good witchcraft, such as would be helpful to their
+people, while Coo-ee-oh performed only evil.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Perhaps she turned the good things to evil uses?&quot; suggested Dorothy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, and with the knowledge she gained Coo-ee-oh doubtless invented
+many evil things quite unknown to the good Adepts, who are now
+fishes,&quot; added Ozma. &quot;It is unfortunate for us that the Queen kept her
+secrets so closely guarded, for no one but herself could use any of
+these strange things gathered in this room.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Couldn't we capture the Diamond Swan and make her tell the secrets?&quot;
+asked Dorothy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No; even were we able to capture her, Coo-ee-oh now has forgotten all
+the magic she ever knew. But until we ourselves escape from this dome
+we could not capture the Swan, and were we to escape we would have no
+use for Coo-ee-oh's magic.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's a fact,&quot; admitted Dorothy. &quot;But&mdash;say, Ozma, here's a good
+idea! Couldn't we capture the three fishes&mdash;the gold and silver and
+bronze ones, and couldn't you transform 'em back to their own shapes,
+and then couldn't the three Adepts get us out of here?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You are not very practical, Dorothy dear. It would be as hard for us
+to capture the three fishes, from among all the other fishes in the
+lake, as to capture the Swan.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But if we could, it would be more help to us,&quot; persisted the little
+girl.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That is true,&quot; answered Ozma, smiling at her friend's eagerness. &quot;You
+find a way to catch the fish, and I'll promise when they are caught to
+restore them to their proper forms.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I know you think I can't do it,&quot; replied Dorothy, &quot;but I'm going to
+try.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>She left the palace and went to a place where she could look through a
+clear pane of the glass dome into the surrounding water. Immediately
+she became interested in the queer sights that met her view.</p>
+
+<p>The Lake of the Skeezers was inhabited by fishes of many kinds and
+many sizes. The water was so transparent that the girl could see for a
+long distance and the fishes came so close to the glass of the dome
+that sometimes they actually touched it. On the white sands at the
+bottom of the lake were star-fish, lobsters, crabs and many shell fish
+of strange shapes and with shells of gorgeous hues. The water foliage
+was of brilliant colors and to Dorothy it resembled a splendid garden.</p>
+
+<p>But the fishes were the most interesting of all. Some were big and
+lazy, floating slowly along or lying at rest with just their fins
+waving. Many with big round eyes looked full at the girl as she
+watched them and Dorothy wondered if they could hear her through the
+glass if she spoke to them. In Oz, where all the animals and birds can
+talk, many fishes are able to talk also, but usually they are more
+stupid than birds and animals because they think slowly and haven't
+much to talk about.</p>
+
+<p>In the Lake of the Skeezers the fish of smaller size were more active
+than the big ones and darted quickly in and out among the swaying
+weeds, as if they had important business and were in a hurry. It was
+among the smaller varieties that Dorothy hoped to spy the gold and
+silver and bronze fishes. She had an idea the three would keep
+together, being companions now as they were in their natural forms,
+but such a multitude of fishes constantly passed, the scene shifting
+every moment, that she was not sure she would notice them even if they
+appeared in view. Her eyes couldn't look in all directions and the
+fishes she sought might be on the other side of the dome, or far away
+in the lake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;P'raps, because they were afraid of Coo-ee-oh, they've hid themselves
+somewhere, and don't know their enemy has been transformed,&quot; she
+reflected.</p>
+
+<p>She watched the fishes for a long time, until she became hungry and
+went back to the palace for lunch. But she was not discouraged.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Anything new, Ozma?&quot; she asked.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, dear. Did you discover the three fishes?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not yet. But there isn't anything better for me to do, Ozma, so I
+guess I'll go back and watch again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h2><a name="CH13" id="CH13">Chapter Thirteen</a></h2>
+
+<h3>The Alarm Bell</h3>
+
+<p>Glinda, the Good, in her palace in the Quadling Country, had many
+things to occupy her mind, for not only did she look after the weaving
+and embroidery of her bevy of maids, and assist all those who came to
+her to implore her help&mdash;beasts and birds as well as people&mdash;but she
+was a close student of the arts of sorcery and spent much time in her
+Magical Laboratory, where she strove to find a remedy for every evil
+and to perfect her skill in magic.</p>
+
+<p>Nevertheless, she did not forget to look in the Great Book of Records
+each day to see if any mention was made of the visit of Ozma and
+Dorothy to the Enchanted Mountain of the Flatheads and the Magic Isle
+of the Skeezers. The Records told her that Ozma had arrived at the
+mountain, that she had escaped, with her companion, and gone to the
+island of the Skeezers, and that Queen Coo-ee-oh had submerged the
+island so that it was entirely under water. Then came the statement
+that the Flatheads had come to the lake to poison the fishes and that
+their Supreme Dictator had transformed Queen Coo-ee-oh into a swan.</p>
+
+<p>No other details were given in the Great Book and so Glinda did not
+know that since Coo-ee-oh had forgotten her magic none of the Skeezers
+knew how to raise the island to the surface again. So Glinda was not
+worried about Ozma and Dorothy until one morning, while she sat with
+her maids, there came a sudden clang of the great alarm bell. This was
+so unusual that every maid gave a start and even the Sorceress for a
+moment could not think what the alarm meant.</p>
+
+<p>Then she remembered the ring she had given Dorothy when she left the
+palace to start on her venture. In giving the ring Glinda had warned
+the little girl not to use its magic powers unless she and Ozma were
+in real danger, but then she was to turn it on her finger once to the
+right and once to the left and Glinda's alarm bell would ring.</p>
+
+<p>So the Sorceress now knew that danger threatened her beloved Ruler and
+Princess Dorothy, and she hurried to her magic room to seek
+information as to what sort of danger it was. The answer to her
+question was not very satisfactory, for it was only: &quot;Ozma and Dorothy
+are prisoners in the great Dome of the Isle of the Skeezers, and the
+Dome is under the water of the lake.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Hasn't Ozma the power to raise the island to the surface?&quot; inquired
+Glinda.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; was the reply, and the Record refused to say more except that
+Queen Coo-ee-oh, who alone could command the island to rise, had been
+transformed by the Flathead Su-dic into a Diamond Swan.</p>
+
+<p>Then Glinda consulted the past records of the Skeezers in the Great
+Book. After diligent search she discovered that Coo-ee-oh was a
+powerful sorceress who had gained most of her power by treacherously
+transforming the Adepts of Magic, who were visiting her, into three
+fishes&mdash;gold, silver and bronze&mdash;after which she had them cast into
+the lake.</p>
+
+<p>Glinda reflected earnestly on this information and decided that
+someone must go to Ozma's assistance. While there was no great need of
+haste, because Ozma and Dorothy could live in a submerged dome a long
+time, it was evident they could not get out until someone was able to
+raise the island.</p>
+
+<p>The Sorceress looked through all her recipes and books of sorcery, but
+could find no magic that would raise a sunken island. Such a thing had
+never before been required in sorcery. Then Glinda made a little
+island, covered by a glass dome, and sunk it in a pond near her
+castle, and experimented in magical ways to bring it to the surface.
+She made several such experiments, but all were failures. It seemed a
+simple thing to do, yet she could not do it.</p>
+
+<p>Nevertheless, the wise Sorceress did not despair of finding a way to
+liberate her friends. Finally she concluded that the best thing to do
+was to go to the Skeezer country and examine the lake. While there she
+was more likely to discover a solution to the problem that bothered
+her, and to work out a plan for the rescue of Ozma and Dorothy.</p>
+
+<p>So Glinda summoned her storks and her aerial chariot, and telling her
+maids she was going on a journey and might not soon return, she
+entered the chariot and was carried swiftly to the Emerald City.</p>
+
+<p>In Princess Ozma's palace the Scarecrow was now acting as Ruler of the
+Land of Oz. There wasn't much for him to do, because all the affairs
+of state moved so smoothly, but he was there in case anything
+unforeseen should happen.</p>
+
+<p>Glinda found the Scarecrow playing croquet with Trot and Betsy Bobbin,
+two little girls who lived at the palace under Ozma's protection and
+were great friends of Dorothy and much loved by all the Oz people.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Something's happened!&quot; cried Trot, as the chariot of the Sorceress
+descended near them. &quot;Glinda never comes here 'cept something's gone
+wrong.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I hope no harm has come to Ozma, or Dorothy,&quot; said Betsy anxiously,
+as the lovely Sorceress stepped down from her chariot.</p>
+
+<p>Glinda approached the Scarecrow and told him of the dilemma of Ozma
+and Dorothy and she added: &quot;We must save them, somehow, Scarecrow.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Of course,&quot; replied the Scarecrow, stumbling over a wicket and
+falling flat on his painted face.</p>
+
+<p>The girls picked him up and patted his straw stuffing into shape, and
+he continued, as if nothing had occurred: &quot;But you'll have to tell me
+what to do, for I never have raised a sunken island in all my life.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We must have a Council of State as soon as possible,&quot; proposed the
+Sorceress. &quot;Please send messengers to summon all of Ozma's counsellors
+to this palace. Then we can decide what is best to be done.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The Scarecrow lost no time in doing this. Fortunately most of the
+royal counsellors were in the Emerald City or near to it, so they all
+met in the throne room of the palace that same evening.</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h2><a name="CH14" id="CH14">Chapter Fourteen</a></h2>
+
+<h3>Ozma's Counsellors</h3>
+
+<p>No Ruler ever had such a queer assortment of advisers as the Princess
+Ozma had gathered about her throne. Indeed, in no other country could
+such amazing people exist. But Ozma loved them for their peculiarities
+and could trust every one of them.</p>
+
+<p>First there was the Tin Woodman. Every bit of him was tin, brightly
+polished. All his joints were kept well oiled and moved smoothly. He
+carried a gleaming axe to prove he was a woodman, but seldom had cause
+to use it because he lived in a magnificent tin castle in the Winkie
+Country of Oz and was the Emperor of all the Winkies. The Tin
+Woodman's name was Nick Chopper. He had a very good mind, but his
+heart was not of much account, so he was very careful to do nothing
+unkind or to hurt anyone's feelings.</p>
+
+<p>Another counsellor was Scraps, the Patchwork Girl of Oz, who was made
+of a gaudy patchwork quilt, cut into shape and stuffed with cotton.
+This Patchwork Girl was very intelligent, but so full of fun and mad
+pranks that a lot of more stupid folks thought she must be crazy.
+Scraps was jolly under all conditions, however grave they might be,
+but her laughter and good spirits were of value in cheering others and
+in her seemingly careless remarks much wisdom could often be found.</p>
+
+<p>Then there was the Shaggy Man&mdash;shaggy from head to foot, hair and
+whiskers, clothes and shoes&mdash;but very kind and gentle and one of
+Ozma's most loyal supporters.</p>
+
+<p>Tik-Tok was there, a copper man with machinery inside him, so cleverly
+constructed that he moved, spoke and thought by three separate
+clock-works. Tik-Tok was very reliable because he always did exactly
+what he was wound up to do, but his machinery was liable to run down
+at times and then he was quite helpless until wound up again.</p>
+
+<p>A different sort of person was Jack Pumpkinhead, one of Ozma's oldest
+friends and her companion on many adventures. Jack's body was very
+crude and awkward, being formed of limbs of trees of different sizes,
+jointed with wooden pegs. But it was a substantial body and not likely
+to break or wear out, and when it was dressed the clothes covered much
+of its roughness. The head of Jack Pumpkinhead was, as you have
+guessed, a ripe pumpkin, with the eyes, nose and mouth carved upon one
+side. The pumpkin was stuck on Jack's wooden neck and was liable to
+get turned sidewise or backward and then he would have to straighten
+it with his wooden hands.</p>
+
+<p>The worst thing about this sort of a head was that it did not keep
+well and was sure to spoil sooner or later. So Jack's main business
+was to grow a field of fine pumpkins each year, and always before his
+old head spoiled he would select a fresh pumpkin from the field and
+carve the features on it very neatly, and have it ready to replace the
+old head whenever it became necessary. He didn't always carve it the
+same way, so his friends never knew exactly what sort of an expression
+they would find on his face. But there was no mistaking him, because
+he was the only pumpkin-headed man alive in the Land of Oz.</p>
+
+<p>A one-legged sailor-man was a member of Ozma's council. His name was
+Cap'n Bill and he had come to the Land of Oz with Trot, and had been
+made welcome on account of his cleverness, honesty and good nature. He
+wore a wooden leg to replace the one he had lost and was a great
+friend of all the children in Oz because he could whittle all sorts of
+toys out of wood with his big jack-knife.</p>
+
+<p>Professor H. M. Wogglebug, T. E., was another member of the council.
+The &quot;H. M.&quot; meant Highly Magnified, for the Professor was once a
+little bug, who became magnified to the size of a man and always
+remained so. The &quot;T. E.&quot; meant that he was Thoroughly Educated. He was
+at the head of Princess Ozma's Royal Athletic College, and so that the
+students would not have to study and so lose much time that could be
+devoted to athletic sports, such as football, baseball and the like,
+Professor Wogglebug had invented the famous Educational Pills. If one
+of the college students took a Geography Pill after breakfast, he knew
+his geography lesson in an instant; if he took a Spelling Pill he at
+once knew his spelling lesson, and an Arithmetic Pill enabled the
+student to do any kind of sum without having to think about it.</p>
+
+<p>These useful pills made the college very popular and taught the boys
+and girls of Oz their lessons in the easiest possible way. In spite of
+this, Professor Wogglebug was not a favorite outside his college, for
+he was very conceited and admired himself so much and displayed his
+cleverness and learning so constantly, that no one cared to associate
+with him. Ozma found him of value in her councils, nevertheless.</p>
+
+<p>Perhaps the most splendidly dressed of all those present was a great
+frog as large as a man, called the Frogman, who was noted for his wise
+sayings. He had come to the Emerald City from the Yip Country of Oz
+and was a guest of honor. His long-tailed coat was of velvet, his vest
+of satin and his trousers of finest silk. There were diamond buckles
+on his shoes and he carried a gold-headed cane and a high silk hat.
+All of the bright colors were represented in his rich attire, so it
+tired one's eyes to look at him for long, until one became used to his
+splendor.</p>
+
+<p>The best farmer in all Oz was Uncle Henry, who was Dorothy's own
+uncle, and who now lived near the Emerald City with his wife Aunt Em.
+Uncle Henry taught the Oz people how to grow the finest vegetables and
+fruits and grains and was of much use to Ozma in keeping the Royal
+Storehouses well filled. He, too, was a counsellor.</p>
+
+<p>The reason I mention the little Wizard of Oz last is because he was
+the most important man in the Land of Oz. He wasn't a big man in size
+but he was a man in power and intelligence and second only to Glinda
+the Good in all the mystic arts of magic. Glinda had taught him, and
+the Wizard and the Sorceress were the only ones in Oz permitted by law
+to practice wizardry and sorcery, which they applied only to good uses
+and for the benefit of the people.</p>
+
+<p>The Wizard wasn't exactly handsome but he was pleasant to look at. His
+bald head was as shiny as if it had been varnished; there was always a
+merry twinkle in his eyes and he was as spry as a schoolboy. Dorothy
+says the reason the Wizard is not as powerful as Glinda is because
+Glinda didn't teach him all she knows, but what the Wizard knows he
+knows very well and so he performs some very remarkable magic. The ten
+I have mentioned assembled, with the Scarecrow and Glinda, in Ozma's
+throne room, right after dinner that evening, and the Sorceress told
+them all she knew of the plight of Ozma and Dorothy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Of course we must rescue them,&quot; she continued, &quot;and the sooner they
+are rescued the better pleased they will be; but what we must now
+determine is how they can be saved. That is why I have called you
+together in council.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The easiest way,&quot; remarked the Shaggy Man, &quot;is to raise the sunken
+island of the Skeezers to the top of the water again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Tell me how?&quot; said Glinda.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know how, your Highness, for I have never raised a sunken
+island.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We might all get under it and lift,&quot; suggested Professor Wogglebug.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How can we get under it when it rests on the bottom of the lake?&quot;
+asked the Sorceress.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Couldn't we throw a rope around it and pull it ashore?&quot; inquired Jack
+Pumpkinhead.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why not pump the water out of the lake?&quot; suggested the Patchwork Girl
+with a laugh.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do be sensible!&quot; pleaded Glinda. &quot;This is a serious matter, and we
+must give it serious thought.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How big is the lake and how big is the island?&quot; was the Frogman's
+question.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;None of us can tell, for we have not been there.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;In that case,&quot; said the Scarecrow, &quot;it appears to me we ought to go
+to the Skeezer country and examine it carefully.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Quite right,&quot; agreed the Tin Woodman.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We-will-have-to-go-there-any-how,&quot; remarked Tik-Tok in his jerky
+machine voice.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The question is which of us shall go, and how many of us?&quot; said the
+Wizard.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I shall go of course,&quot; declared the Scarecrow.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And I,&quot; said Scraps.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is my duty to Ozma to go,&quot; asserted the Tin Woodman.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I could not stay away, knowing our loved Princess is in danger,&quot; said
+the Wizard.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We all feel like that,&quot; Uncle Henry said.</p>
+
+<p>Finally one and all present decided to go to the Skeezer country, with
+Glinda and the little Wizard to lead them. Magic must meet magic in
+order to conquer it, so these two skillful magic-workers were
+necessary to insure the success of the expedition.</p>
+
+<p>They were all ready to start at a moment's notice, for none had any
+affairs of importance to attend to. Jack was wearing a newly made
+Pumpkin-head and the Scarecrow had recently been stuffed with fresh
+straw. Tik-Tok's machinery was in good running order and the Tin
+Woodman always was well oiled.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is quite a long journey,&quot; said Glinda, &quot;and while I might travel
+quickly to the Skeezer country by means of my stork chariot the rest
+of you will be obliged to walk. So, as we must keep together, I will
+send my chariot back to my castle and we will plan to leave the
+Emerald City at sunrise to-morrow.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h2><a name="CH15" id="CH15">Chapter Fifteen</a></h2>
+
+<h3>The Great Sorceress</h3>
+
+<p>Betsy and Trot, when they heard of the rescue expedition, begged the
+Wizard to permit them to join it and he consented. The Glass Cat,
+overhearing the conversation, wanted to go also and to this the Wizard
+made no objection.</p>
+
+<p>This Glass Cat was one of the real curiosities of Oz. It had been made
+and brought to life by a clever magician named Dr. Pipt, who was not
+now permitted to work magic and was an ordinary citizen of the Emerald
+City. The cat was of transparent glass, through which one could
+plainly see its ruby heart beating and its pink brains whirling around
+in the top of the head.</p>
+
+<p>The Glass Cat's eyes were emeralds; its fluffy tail was of spun glass
+and very beautiful. The ruby heart, while pretty to look at, was hard
+and cold and the Glass Cat's disposition was not pleasant at all
+times. It scorned to catch mice, did not eat, and was extremely lazy.
+If you complimented the remarkable cat on her beauty, she would be
+very friendly, for she loved admiration above everything. The pink
+brains were always working and their owner was indeed more intelligent
+than most common cats.</p>
+
+<p>Three other additions to the rescue party were made the next morning,
+just as they were setting out upon their journey. The first was a
+little boy called Button Bright, because he had no other name that
+anyone could remember. He was a fine, manly little fellow, well
+mannered and good humored, who had only one bad fault. He was
+continually getting lost. To be sure, Button Bright got found as often
+as he got lost, but when he was missing his friends could not help
+being anxious about him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Some day,&quot; predicted the Patchwork Girl, &quot;he won't be found, and that
+will be the last of him.&quot; But that didn't worry Button Bright, who was
+so careless that he did not seem to be able to break the habit of
+getting lost.</p>
+
+<p>The second addition to the party was a Munchkin boy of about Button
+Bright's age, named Ojo. He was often called &quot;Ojo the Lucky,&quot; because
+good fortune followed him wherever he went. He and Button Bright were
+close friends, although of such different natures, and Trot and Betsy
+were fond of both.</p>
+
+<p>The third and last to join the expedition was an enormous lion, one of
+Ozma's regular guardians and the most important and intelligent beast
+in all Oz. He called himself the Cowardly Lion, saying that every
+little danger scared him so badly that his heart thumped against his
+ribs, but all who knew him knew that the Cowardly Lion's fears were
+coupled with bravery and that however much he might be frightened he
+summoned courage to meet every danger he encountered. Often he had
+saved Dorothy and Ozma in times of peril, but afterward he moaned and
+trembled and wept because he had been so scared.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If Ozma needs help, I'm going to help her,&quot; said the great beast.
+&quot;Also, I suspect the rest of you may need me on the
+journey&mdash;especially Trot and Betsy&mdash;for you may pass through a
+dangerous part of the country. I know that wild Gillikin country
+pretty well. Its forests harbor many ferocious beasts.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They were glad the Cowardly Lion was to join them, and in good spirits
+the entire party formed a procession and marched out of the Emerald
+City amid the shouts of the people, who wished them success and a safe
+return with their beloved Ruler.</p>
+
+<p>They followed a different route from that taken by Ozma and Dorothy,
+for they went through the Winkie Country and up north toward Oogaboo.
+But before they got there they swerved to the left and entered the
+Great Gillikin Forest, the nearest thing to a wilderness in all Oz.
+Even the Cowardly Lion had to admit that certain parts of this forest
+were unknown to him, although he had often wandered among the trees,
+and the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman, who were great travelers, never had
+been there at all.</p>
+
+<p>The forest was only reached after a tedious tramp, for some of the
+Rescue Expedition were quite awkward on their feet. The Patchwork Girl
+was as light as a feather and very spry; the Tin Woodman covered the
+ground as easily as Uncle Henry and the Wizard; but Tik-Tok moved
+slowly and the slightest obstruction in the road would halt him until
+the others cleared it away. Then, too, Tik-Tok's machinery kept
+running down, so Betsy and Trot took turns in winding it up.</p>
+
+<p>The Scarecrow was more clumsy but less bother, for although he often
+stumbled and fell he could scramble up again and a little patting of
+his straw-stuffed body would put him in good shape again.</p>
+
+<p>Another awkward one was Jack Pumpkinhead, for walking would jar his
+head around on his neck and then he would be likely to go in the wrong
+direction. But the Frogman took Jack's arm and then he followed the
+path more easily.</p>
+
+<p>Cap'n Bill's wooden leg didn't prevent him from keeping up with the
+others and the old sailor could walk as far as any of them.</p>
+
+<p>When they entered the forest the Cowardly Lion took the lead. There
+was no path here for men, but many beasts had made paths of their own
+which only the eyes of the Lion, practiced in woodcraft, could
+discern. So he stalked ahead and wound his way in and out, the others
+following in single file, Glinda being next to the Lion.</p>
+
+<p>There are dangers in the forest, of course, but as the huge Lion
+headed the party he kept the wild denizens of the wilderness from
+bothering the travelers. Once, to be sure, an enormous leopard sprang
+upon the Glass Cat and caught her in his powerful jaws, but he broke
+several of his teeth and with howls of pain and dismay dropped his
+prey and vanished among the trees.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Are you hurt?&quot; Trot anxiously inquired of the Glass Cat.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How silly!&quot; exclaimed the creature in an irritated tone of voice;
+&quot;nothing can hurt glass, and I'm too solid to break easily. But I'm
+annoyed at that leopard's impudence. He has no respect for beauty or
+intelligence. If he had noticed my pink brains work, I'm sure he would
+have realized I'm too important to be grabbed in a wild beast's jaws.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Never mind,&quot; said Trot consolingly; &quot;I'm sure he won't do it again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They were almost in the center of the forest when Ojo, the Munchkin
+boy, suddenly said: &quot;Why, where's Button Bright?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They halted and looked around them. Button Bright was not with the
+party.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Dear me,&quot; remarked Betsy, &quot;I expect he's lost again!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;When did you see him last, Ojo?&quot; inquired Glinda.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It was some time ago,&quot; replied Ojo. &quot;He was trailing along at the end
+and throwing twigs at the squirrels in the trees. Then I went to talk
+to Betsy and Trot, and just now I noticed he was gone.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;This is too bad,&quot; declared the Wizard, &quot;for it is sure to delay our
+journey. We must find Button Bright before we go any farther, for this
+forest is full of ferocious beasts that would not hesitate to tear the
+boy to pieces.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But what shall we do?&quot; asked the Scarecrow. &quot;If any of us leaves the
+party to search for Button Bright he or she might fall a victim to the
+beasts, and if the Lion leaves us we will have no protector.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Glass Cat could go,&quot; suggested the Frogman. &quot;The beasts can do
+her no harm, as we have discovered.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The Wizard turned to Glinda.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Cannot your sorcery discover where Button Bright is?&quot; he asked.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I think so,&quot; replied the Sorceress.</p>
+
+<p>She called to Uncle Henry, who had been carrying her wicker box, to
+bring it to her, and when he obeyed she opened it and drew out a small
+round mirror. On the surface of the glass she dusted a white powder
+and then wiped it away with her handkerchief and looked in the mirror.
+It reflected a part of the forest, and there, beneath a wide-spreading
+tree, Button Bright was lying asleep. On one side of him crouched a
+tiger, ready to spring; on the other side was a big gray wolf, its
+bared fangs glistening in a wicked way.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Goodness me!&quot; cried Trot, looking over Glinda's shoulder. &quot;They'll
+catch and kill him sure.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Everyone crowded around for a glimpse at the magic mirror.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Pretty bad&mdash;pretty bad!&quot; said the Scarecrow sorrowfully.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Comes of getting lost!&quot; said Cap'n Bill, sighing.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Guess he's a goner!&quot; said the Frogman, wiping his eyes on his purple
+silk handkerchief.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But where is he? Can't we save him?&quot; asked Ojo the Lucky.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If we knew where he is we could probably save him,&quot; replied the
+little Wizard, &quot;but that tree looks so much like all the other trees,
+that we can't tell whether it's far away or near by.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Look at Glinda!&quot; exclaimed Betsy</p>
+
+<p>Glinda, having handed the mirror to the Wizard, had stepped aside and
+was making strange passes with her outstretched arms and reciting in
+low, sweet tones a mystical incantation. Most of them watched the
+Sorceress with anxious eyes, despair giving way to the hope that she
+might be able to save their friend. The Wizard, however, watched the
+scene in the mirror, while over his shoulders peered Trot, the
+Scarecrow and the Shaggy Man.</p>
+
+<p>What they saw was more strange than Glinda's actions. The tiger
+started to spring on the sleeping boy, but suddenly lost its power to
+move and lay flat upon the ground. The gray wolf seemed unable to lift
+its feet from the ground. It pulled first at one leg and then at
+another, and finding itself strangely confined to the spot began to
+back and snarl angrily. They couldn't hear the barkings and snarls,
+but they could see the creature's mouth open and its thick lips move.
+Button Bright, however, being but a few feet away from the wolf, heard
+its cries of rage, which wakened him from his untroubled sleep. The
+boy sat up and looked first at the tiger and then at the wolf. His
+face showed that for a moment he was quite frightened, but he soon saw
+that the beasts were unable to approach him and so he got upon his
+feet and examined them curiously, with a mischievous smile upon his
+face. Then he deliberately kicked the tiger's head with his foot and
+catching up a fallen branch of a tree he went to the wolf and gave it
+a good whacking. Both the beasts were furious at such treatment but
+could not resent it.</p>
+
+<p>Button Bright now threw down the stick and with his hands in his
+pockets wandered carelessly away.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now,&quot; said Glinda, &quot;let the Glass Cat run and find him. He is in that
+direction,&quot; pointing the way, &quot;but how far off I do not know. Make
+haste and lead him back to us as quickly as you can.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The Glass Cat did not obey everyone's orders, but she really feared
+the great Sorceress, so as soon as the words were spoken the crystal
+animal darted away and was quickly lost to sight.</p>
+
+<p>The Wizard handed the mirror back to Glinda, for the woodland scene
+had now faded from the glass. Then those who cared to rest sat down to
+await Button Bright's coming. It was not long before be appeared
+through the trees and as he rejoined his friends he said in a peevish
+tone:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Don't ever send that Glass Cat to find me again. She was very
+impolite and, if we didn't all know that she had no manners, I'd say
+she insulted me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Glinda turned upon the boy sternly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You have caused all of us much anxiety and annoyance,&quot; said she.
+&quot;Only my magic saved you from destruction. I forbid you to get lost
+again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Of course,&quot; he answered. &quot;It won't be my fault if I get lost again;
+but it wasn't my fault this time.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h2><a name="CH16" id="CH16">Chapter Sixteen</a></h2>
+
+<h3>The Enchanted Fishes</h3>
+
+<p>I must now tell you what happened to Ervic and the three other
+Skeezers who were left floating in the iron boat after Queen Coo-ee-oh
+had been transformed into a Diamond Swan by the magic of the Flathead
+Su-dic.</p>
+
+<p>The four Skeezers were all young men and their leader was Ervic.
+Coo-ee-oh had taken them with her in the boat to assist her if she
+captured the Flathead chief, as she hoped to do by means of her silver
+rope. They knew nothing about the witchcraft that moved the submarine
+and so, when left floating upon the lake, were at a loss what to do.
+The submarine could not be submerged by them or made to return to the
+sunken island. There were neither oars nor sails in the boat, which
+was not anchored but drifted quietly upon the surface of the lake.</p>
+
+<p>The Diamond Swan had no further thought or care for her people. She
+had sailed over to the other side of the lake and all the calls and
+pleadings of Ervic and his companions were unheeded by the vain bird.
+As there was nothing else for them to do, they sat quietly in their
+boat and waited as patiently as they could for someone to come to
+their aid.</p>
+
+<p>The Flatheads had refused to help them and had gone back to their
+mountain. All the Skeezers were imprisoned in the Great Dome and could
+not help even themselves. When evening came, they saw the Diamond
+Swan, still keeping to the opposite shore of the lake, walk out of the
+water to the sands, shake her diamond-sprinkled feathers, and then
+disappear among the bushes to seek a resting place for the night.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'm hungry,&quot; said Ervic.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'm cold,&quot; said another Skeezer.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'm tired,&quot; said a third.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'm afraid,&quot; said the last one of them.</p>
+
+<p>But it did them no good to complain. Night fell and the moon rose and
+cast a silvery sheen over the surface of the water.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Go to sleep,&quot; said Ervic to his companions. &quot;I'll stay awake and
+watch, for we may be rescued in some unexpected way.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So the other three laid themselves down in the bottom of the boat and
+were soon fast asleep.</p>
+
+<p>Ervic watched. He rested himself by leaning over the bow of the boat,
+his face near to the moonlit water, and thought dreamily of the day's
+surprising events and wondered what would happen to the prisoners in
+the Great Dome.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly a tiny goldfish popped its head above the surface of the
+lake, not more than a foot from his eyes. A silverfish then raised its
+head beside that of the goldfish, and a moment later a bronzefish
+lifted its head beside the others. The three fish, all in a row,
+looked earnestly with their round, bright eyes into the astonished
+eyes of Ervic the Skeezer.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We are the three Adepts whom Queen Coo-ee-oh betrayed and wickedly
+transformed,&quot; said the goldfish, its voice low and soft but distinctly
+heard in the stillness of the night.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I know of our Queen's treacherous deed,&quot; replied Ervic, &quot;and I am
+sorry for your misfortune. Have you been in the lake ever since?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; was the reply.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I&mdash;I hope you are well&mdash;and comfortable,&quot; stammered Ervic, not
+knowing what else to say.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We knew that some day Ooo-ee-oh would meet with the fate she so
+richly deserves,&quot; declared the bronzefish. &quot;We have waited and watched
+for this time. Now if you will promise to help us and will be faithful
+and true, you can aid us in regaining our natural forms, and save
+yourself and all your people from the dangers that now threaten you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Ervic, &quot;you can depend on my doing the best I can. But
+I'm no witch, nor magician, you must know.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;All we ask is that you obey our instructions,&quot; returned the
+silverfish. &quot;We know that you are honest and that you served Coo-ee-oh
+only because you were obliged to in order to escape her anger. Do as
+we command and all will be well.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I promise!&quot; exclaimed the young man. &quot;Tell me what I am to do first.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You will find in the bottom of your boat the silver cord which
+dropped from Coo-ee-oh's hand when she was transformed,&quot; said the
+goldfish. &quot;Tie one end of that cord to the bow of your boat and drop
+the other end to us in the water. Together we will pull your boat to
+the shore.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Ervic much doubted that the three small fishes could move so heavy a
+boat, but he did as he was told and the fishes all seized their end of
+the silver cord in their mouths and headed toward the nearest shore,
+which was the very place where the Flatheads had stood when they
+conquered Queen Coo-ee-oh.</p>
+
+<p>At first the boat did not move at all, although the fishes pulled with
+all their strength. But presently the strain began to tell. Very
+slowly the boat crept toward the shore, gaining more speed at every
+moment. A couple of yards away from the sandy beach the fishes dropped
+the cord from their mouths and swam to one side, while the iron boat,
+being now under way, continued to move until its prow grated upon the
+sands.</p>
+
+<p>Ervic leaned over the side and said to the fishes: &quot;What next?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You will find upon the sand,&quot; said the silverfish, &quot;a copper kettle,
+which the Su-dic forgot when he went away. Cleanse it thoroughly in
+the water of the lake, for it has had poison in it. When it is
+cleaned, fill it with fresh water and hold it over the side of the
+boat, so that we three may swim into the kettle. We will then instruct
+you further.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do you wish me to catch you, then?&quot; asked Ervic in surprise.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; was the reply.</p>
+
+<p>So Ervic jumped out of the boat and found the copper kettle. Carrying
+it a little way down the beach, he washed it well, scrubbing away
+every drop of the poison it had contained with sand from the shore.</p>
+
+<p>Then he went back to the boat.</p>
+
+<p>Ervic's comrades were still sound asleep and knew nothing of the three
+fishes or what strange happenings were taking place about them. Ervic
+dipped the kettle in the lake, holding fast to the handle until it was
+under water. The gold and silver and bronze fishes promptly swam into
+the kettle. The young Skeezer then lifted it, poured out a little of
+the water so it would not spill over the edge, and said to the fishes:
+&quot;What next?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Carry the kettle to the shore. Take one hundred steps to the east,
+along the edge of the lake, and then you will see a path leading
+through the meadows, up hill and down dale. Follow the path until you
+come to a cottage which is painted a purple color with white
+trimmings. When you stop at the gate of this cottage we will tell you
+what to do next. Be careful, above all, not to stumble and spill the
+water from the kettle, or you would destroy us and all you have done
+would be in vain.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The goldfish issued these commands and Ervic promised to be careful
+and started to obey. He left his sleeping comrades in the boat,
+stepping cautiously over their bodies, and on reaching the shore took
+exactly one hundred steps to the east. Then he looked for the path and
+the moonlight was so bright that he easily discovered it, although it
+was hidden from view by tall weeds until one came full upon it. This
+path was very narrow and did not seem to be much used, but it was
+quite distinct and Ervic had no difficulty in following it. He walked
+through a broad meadow, covered with tall grass and weeds, up a hill
+and down into a valley and then up another hill and down again.</p>
+
+<p>It seemed to Ervic that he had walked miles and miles. Indeed the moon
+sank low and day was beginning to dawn when finally he discovered by
+the roadside a pretty little cottage, painted purple with white
+trimmings. It was a lonely place&mdash;no other buildings were anywhere
+about and the ground was not tilled at all. No farmer lived here, that
+was certain. Who would care to dwell in such an isolated place?</p>
+
+<p>But Ervic did not bother his head long with such questions. He went up
+to the gate that led to the cottage, set the copper kettle carefully
+down and bending over it asked:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What next?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h2><a name="CH17" id="CH17">Chapter Seventeen</a></h2>
+
+<h3>Under the Great Dome</h3>
+
+<p>When Glinda the Good and her followers of the Rescue Expedition came
+in sight of the Enchanted Mountain of the Flatheads, it was away to
+the left of them, for the route they had taken through the Great
+Forest was some distance from that followed by Ozma and Dorothy.</p>
+
+<p>They halted awhile to decide whether they should call upon the Supreme
+Dictator first, or go on to the Lake of the Skeezers.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If we go to the mountain,&quot; said the Wizard, &quot;we may get into trouble
+with that wicked Su-dic, and then we would be delayed in rescuing Ozma
+and Dorothy. So I think our best plan will be to go to the Skeezer
+Country, raise the sunken island and save our friends and the
+imprisoned Skeezers. Afterward we can visit the mountain and punish
+the cruel magician of the Flatheads.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That is sensible,&quot; approved the Shaggy Man. &quot;I quite agree with you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The others, too, seemed to think the Wizard's plan the best, and
+Glinda herself commended it, so on they marched toward the line of
+palm trees that hid the Skeezers' lake from view.</p>
+
+<p>Pretty soon they came to the palms. These were set closely together,
+the branches, which came quite to the ground, being so tightly
+interlaced that even the Glass Cat could scarcely find a place to
+squeeze through. The path which the Flatheads used was some distance
+away.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Here's a job for the Tin Woodman,&quot; said the Scarecrow.</p>
+
+<p>So the Tin Woodman, who was always glad to be of use, set to work with
+his sharp, gleaming axe, which he always carried, and in a
+surprisingly short time had chopped away enough branches to permit
+them all to pass easily through the trees.</p>
+
+<p>Now the clear waters of the beautiful lake were before them and by
+looking closely they could see the outlines of the Great Dome of the
+sunken island, far from shore and directly in the center of the lake.</p>
+
+<p>Of course every eye was at first fixed upon this dome, where Ozma and
+Dorothy and the Skeezers were still fast prisoners. But soon their
+attention was caught by a more brilliant sight, for here was the
+Diamond Swan swimming just before them, its long neck arched proudly,
+the amethyst eyes gleaming and all the diamond-sprinkled feathers
+glistening splendidly under the rays of the sun.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That,&quot; said Glinda, &quot;is the transformation of Queen Coo-ce-oh, the
+haughty and wicked witch who betrayed the three Adepts at Magic and
+treated her people like slaves.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;She's wonderfully beautiful now,&quot; remarked the Frogman.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It doesn't seem like much of a punishment,&quot; said Trot. &quot;The Flathead
+Su-dic ought to have made her a toad.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am sure Coo-ee-oh is punished,&quot; said Glinda, &quot;for she has lost all
+her magic power and her grand palace and can no longer misrule the
+poor Skeezers.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let us call to her, and hear what she has to say,&quot; proposed the
+Wizard.</p>
+
+<p>So Glinda beckoned the Diamond Swan, which swam gracefully to a
+position near them. Before anyone could speak Coo-ee-oh called to them
+in a rasping voice&mdash;for the voice of a swan is always harsh and
+unpleasant&mdash;and said with much pride:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Admire me, Strangers! Admire the lovely Coo-ee-oh, the handsomest
+creature in all Oz. Admire me!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Handsome is as handsome does,&quot; replied the Scarecrow. &quot;Are your deeds
+lovely, Coo-ce-oh?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Deeds? What deeds can a swan do but swim around and give pleasure to
+all beholders?&quot; said the sparkling bird.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Have you forgotten your former life? Have you forgotten your magic
+and witchcraft?&quot; inquired the Wizard.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Magic&mdash;witchcraft? Pshaw, who cares for such silly things?&quot; retorted
+Coo-ee-oh. &quot;As for my past life, it seems like an unpleasant dream. I
+wouldn't go back to it if I could. Don't you admire my beauty,
+Strangers?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Tell us, Coo-ee-oh,&quot; said Glinda earnestly, &quot;if you can recall enough
+of your witchcraft to enable us to raise the sunken island to the
+surface of the lake. Tell us that and I'll give you a string of pearls
+to wear around your neck and add to your beauty.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Nothing can add to my beauty, for I'm the most beautiful creature
+anywhere in the whole world.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But how can we raise the island?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know and I don't care. If ever I knew I've forgotten, and I'm
+glad of it,&quot; was the response. &quot;Just watch me circle around and see me
+glitter!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's no use,&quot; said Button Bright; &quot;the old Swan is too much in love
+with herself to think of anything else.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's a fact,&quot; agreed Betsy with a sigh; &quot;but we've got to get Ozma
+and Dorothy out of that lake, somehow or other.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And we must do it in our own way,&quot; added the Scarecrow.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But how?&quot; asked Uncle Henry in a grave voice, for he could not bear
+to think of his dear niece Dorothy being out there under water; &quot;how
+shall we do it?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Leave that to Glinda,&quot; advised the Wizard, realizing he was helpless
+to do it himself.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If it were just an ordinary sunken island,&quot; said the powerful
+sorceress, &quot;there would be several ways by which I might bring it to
+the surface again. But this is a Magic Isle, and by some curious art
+of witchcraft, unknown to any but Queen Coo-ce-oh, it obeys certain
+commands of magic and will not respond to any other. I do not despair
+in the least, but it will require some deep study to solve this
+difficult problem. If the Swan could only remember the witchcraft that
+she invented and knew as a woman, I could force her to tell me the
+secret, but all her former knowledge is now forgotten.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It seems to me,&quot; said the Wizard after a brief silence had followed
+Glinda's speech, &quot;that there are three fishes in this lake that used
+to be Adepts at Magic and from whom Coo-ee-oh stole much of her
+knowledge. If we could find those fishes and return them to their
+former shapes, they could doubtless tell us what to do to bring the
+sunken island to the surface.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I have thought of those fishes,&quot; replied Glinda, &quot;but among so many
+fishes as this lake contains how are we to single them out?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>You will understand, of course, that had Glinda been at home in her
+castle, where the Great Book of Records was, she would have known that
+Ervic the Skeezer already had taken the gold and silver and bronze
+fishes from the lake. But that act had been recorded in the Book after
+Glinda had set out on this journey, so it was all unknown to her.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I think I see a boat yonder on the shore,&quot; said Ojo the Munchkin boy,
+pointing to a place around the edge of the lake. &quot;If we could get that
+boat and row all over the lake, calling to the magic fishes, we might
+be able to find them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let us go to the boat,&quot; said the Wizard.</p>
+
+<p>They walked around the lake to where the boat was stranded upon the
+beach, but found it empty. It was a mere shell of blackened steel,
+with a collapsible roof that, when in position, made the submarine
+watertight, but at present the roof rested in slots on either side of
+the magic craft. There were no oars or sails, no machinery to make the
+boat go, and although Glinda promptly realized it was meant to be
+operated by witchcraft, she was not acquainted with that sort of
+magic.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;However,&quot; said she, &quot;the boat is merely a boat, and I believe I can
+make it obey a command of sorcery, as well as it did the command of
+witchcraft. After I have given a little thought to the matter, the
+boat will take us wherever we desire to go.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not all of us,&quot; returned the Wizard, &quot;for it won't hold so many. But,
+most noble Sorceress, provided you can make the boat go, of what use
+will it be to us?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Can't we use it to catch the three fishes?&quot; asked Button Bright.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It will not be necessary to use the boat for that purpose,&quot; replied
+Glinda. &quot;Wherever in the lake the enchanted fishes may be, they will
+answer to my call. What I am trying to discover is how the boat came
+to be on this shore, while the island on which it belongs is under
+water yonder. Did Coo-ee-oh come here in the boat to meet the
+Flatheads before the island was sunk, or afterward?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>No one could answer that question, of course; but while they pondered
+the matter three young men advanced from the line of trees, and rather
+timidly bowed to the strangers.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Who are you, and where did you come from?&quot; inquired the Wizard.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We are Skeezers,&quot; answered one of them, &quot;and our home is on the Magic
+Isle of the Lake. We ran away when we saw you coming, and hid behind
+the trees, but as you are Strangers and seem to be friendly we decided
+to meet you, for we are in great trouble and need assistance.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If you belong on the island, why are you here?&quot; demanded Glinda.</p>
+
+<p>So they told her all the story: How the Queen had defied the Flatheads
+and submerged the whole island so that her enemies could not get to it
+or destroy it; how, when the Flatheads came to the shore, Coo-ee-oh
+had commanded them, together with their friend Ervic, to go with her
+in the submarine to conquer the Su-dic, and how the boat had shot out
+from the basement of the sunken isle, obeying a magic word, and risen
+to the surface, where it opened and floated upon the water.</p>
+
+<p>Then followed the account of how the Su-dic had transformed Coo-ee-oh
+into a swan, after which she had forgotten all the witchcraft she ever
+knew. The young men told how, in the night when they were asleep,
+their comrade Ervic had mysteriously disappeared, while the boat in
+some strange manner had floated to the shore and stranded upon the
+beach.</p>
+
+<p>That was all they knew. They had searched in vain for three days for
+Ervic. As their island was under water and they could not get back to
+it, the three Skeezers had no place to go, and so had waited patiently
+beside their boat for something to happen.</p>
+
+<p>Being questioned by Glinda and the Wizard, they told all they knew
+about Ozma and Dorothy and declared the two girls were still in the
+village under the Great Dome. They were quite safe and would be well
+cared for by Lady Aurex, now that the Queen who opposed them was out
+of the way.</p>
+
+<p>When they had gleaned all the information they could from these
+Skeezers, the Wizard said to Glinda:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If you find you can make this boat obey your sorcery, you could have
+it return to the island, submerge itself, and enter the door in the
+basement from which it came. But I cannot see that our going to the
+sunken island would enable our friends to escape. We would only Join
+them as prisoners.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not so, friend Wizard,&quot; replied Glinda. &quot;If the boat would obey my
+commands to enter the basement door, it would also obey my commands to
+come out again, and I could bring Ozma and Dorothy back with me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And leave all of our people still imprisoned?&quot; asked one of the
+Skeezers reproachfully.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;By making several trips in the boat, Glinda could fetch all your
+people to the shore,&quot; replied the Wizard.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But what could they do then?&quot; inquired another Skeezer. &quot;They would
+have no homes and no place to go, and would be at the mercy of their
+enemies, the Flatheads.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That is true,&quot; said Glinda the Good. &quot;And as these people are Ozma's
+subjects, I think she would refuse to escape with Dorothy and leave
+the others behind, or to abandon the island which is the lawful home
+of the Skeezers. I believe the best plan will be to summon the three
+fishes and learn from them how to raise the island.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The little Wizard seemed to think that this was rather a forlorn hope.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How will you summon them,&quot; he asked the lovely Sorceress, &quot;and how
+can they hear you?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That is something we must consider carefully,&quot; responded stately
+Glinda, with a serene smile. &quot;I think I can find a way.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>All of Ozma's counsellors applauded this sentiment, for they knew well
+the powers of the Sorceress.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very well,&quot; agreed the Wizard. &quot;Summon them, most noble Glinda.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h2><a name="CH18" id="CH18">Chapter Eighteen</a></h2>
+
+<h3>The Cleverness of Ervic</h3>
+
+<p>We must now return to Ervic the Skeezer, who, when he had set down the
+copper kettle containing the three fishes at the gate of the lonely
+cottage, had asked, &quot;What next?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The goldfish stuck its head above the water in the kettle and said in
+its small but distinct voice:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You are to lift the latch, open the door, and walk boldly into the
+cottage. Do not be afraid of anything you see, for however you seem to
+be threatened with dangers, nothing can harm you. The cottage is the
+home of a powerful Yookoohoo, named Reera the Red, who assumes all
+sorts of forms, sometimes changing her form several times in a day,
+according to her fancy. What her real form may be we do not know. This
+strange creature cannot be bribed with treasure, or coaxed through
+friendship, or won by pity. She has never assisted anyone, or done
+wrong to anyone, that we know of. All her wonderful powers are used
+for her own selfish amusement. She will order you out of the house but
+you must refuse to go. Remain and watch Reera closely and try to see
+what she uses to accomplish her transformations. If you can discover
+the secret whisper it to us and we will then tell you what to do
+next.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That sounds easy,&quot; returned Ervic, who had listened carefully. &quot;But
+are you sure she will not hurt me, or try to transform me?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;She may change your form,&quot; replied the goldfish, &quot;but do not worry if
+that happens, for we can break that enchantment easily. You may be
+sure that nothing will harm you, so you must not be frightened at
+anything you see or hear.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Now Ervic was as brave as any ordinary young man, and he knew the
+fishes who spoke to him were truthful and to be relied upon,
+nevertheless he experienced a strange sinking of the heart as he
+picked up the kettle and approached the door of the cottage. His hand
+trembled as he raised the latch, but he was resolved to obey his
+instructions. He pushed the door open, took three strides into the
+middle of the one room the cottage contained, and then stood still and
+looked around him.</p>
+
+<p>The sights that met his gaze were enough to frighten anyone who had
+not been properly warned. On the floor just before Ervic lay a great
+crocodile, its red eyes gleaming wickedly and its wide open mouth
+displaying rows of sharp teeth. Horned toads hopped about; each of the
+four upper corners of the room was festooned with a thick cobweb, in
+the center of which sat a spider as big around as a washbasin, and
+armed with pincher-like claws; a red-and-green lizard was stretched at
+full length on the window-sill and black rats darted in and out of the
+holes they had gnawed in the floor of the cottage.</p>
+
+<p>But the most startling thing was a huge gray ape which sat upon a
+bench and knitted. It wore a lace cap, such as old ladies wear, and a
+little apron of lace, but no other clothing. Its eyes were bright and
+looked as if coals were burning in them. The ape moved as naturally as
+an ordinary person might, and on Ervic's entrance stopped knitting and
+raised its head to look at him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Get out!&quot; cried a sharp voice, seeming to come from the ape's mouth.</p>
+
+<p>Ervic saw another bench, empty, just beyond him, so he stepped over
+the crocodile, sat down upon the bench and carefully placed the kettle
+beside him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Get out!&quot; again cried the voice.</p>
+
+<p>Ervic shook his head.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said he, &quot;I'm going to stay.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The spiders left their four corners, dropped to the floor and made a
+rush toward the young Skeezer, circling around his legs with their
+pinchers extended. Ervic paid no attention to them. An enormous black
+rat ran up Ervic's body, passed around his shoulders and uttered
+piercing squeals in his ears, but he did not wince. The green-and-red
+lizard, coming from the window-sill, approached Ervic and began
+spitting a flaming fluid at him, but Ervic merely stared at the
+creature and its flame did not touch him.</p>
+
+<p>The crocodile raised its tail and, swinging around, swept Ervic off
+the bench with a powerful blow. But the Skeezer managed to save the
+kettle from upsetting and he got up, shook off the horned toads that
+were crawling over him and resumed his seat on the bench.</p>
+
+<p>All the creatures, after this first attack, remained motionless, as if
+awaiting orders. The old gray ape knitted on, not looking toward Ervic
+now, and the young Skeezer stolidly kept his seat. He expected
+something else to happen, but nothing did. A full hour passed and
+Ervic was growing nervous.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What do you want?&quot; the ape asked at last.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Nothing,&quot; said Ervic.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You may have that!&quot; retorted the ape, and at this all the strange
+creatures in the room broke into a chorus of cackling laughter.</p>
+
+<p>Another long wait.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do you know who I am?&quot; questioned the ape.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You must be Reera the Red&mdash;the Yookoohoo,&quot; Ervic answered.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Knowing so much, you must also know that I do not like strangers.
+Your presence here in my home annoys me. Do you not fear my anger?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said the young man.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do you intend to obey me, and leave this house?&quot; &quot;No,&quot; replied Ervic,
+just as quietly as the Yookoohoo had spoken.</p>
+
+<p>The ape knitted for a long time before resuming the conversation.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Curiosity,&quot; it said, &quot;has led to many a man's undoing. I suppose in
+some way you have learned that I do tricks of magic, and so through
+curiosity you have come here. You may have been told that I do not
+injure anyone, so you are bold enough to disobey my commands to go
+away. You imagine that you may witness some of the rites of
+witchcraft, and that they may amuse you. Have I spoken truly?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; remarked Ervic, who had been pondering on the strange
+circumstances of his coming here, &quot;you are right in some ways, but not
+in others. I am told that you work magic only for your own amusement.
+That seems to me very selfish. Few people understand magic. I'm told
+that you are the only real Yookoohoo in all Oz. Why don't you amuse
+others as well as yourself?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What right have you to question my actions?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;None at all.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And you say you are not here to demand any favors of me?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;For myself I want nothing from you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You are wise in that. I never grant favors.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That doesn't worry me,&quot; declared Ervic.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But you are curious? You hope to witness some of my magic
+transformations?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If you wish to perform any magic, go ahead,&quot; said Ervic. &quot;It may
+interest me and it may not. If you'd rather go on with your knitting,
+it's all the same to me. I am in no hurry at all.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This may have puzzled Red Reera, but the face beneath the lace cap
+could show no expression, being covered with hair. Perhaps in all her
+career the Yookoohoo had never been visited by anyone who, like this
+young man, asked for nothing, expected nothing, and had no reason for
+coming except curiosity. This attitude practically disarmed the witch
+and she began to regard the Skeezer in a more friendly way. She
+knitted for some time, seemingly in deep thought, and then she arose
+and walked to a big cupboard that stood against the wall of the room.
+When the cupboard door was opened Ervic could see a lot of drawers
+inside, and into one of these drawers&mdash;the second from the
+bottom&mdash;Reera thrust a hairy hand.</p>
+
+<p>Until now Ervic could see over the bent form of the ape, but suddenly
+the form, with its back to him, seemed to straighten up and blot out
+the cupboard of drawers. The ape had changed to the form of a woman,
+dressed in the pretty Gillikin costume, and when she turned around he
+saw that it was a young woman, whose face was quite attractive.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do you like me better this way?&quot; Reera inquired with a smile.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You look better,&quot; he said calmly, &quot;but I'm not sure I like you any
+better.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>She laughed, saying: &quot;During the heat of the day I like to be an ape,
+for an ape doesn't wear any clothes to speak of. But if one has
+gentlemen callers it is proper to dress up.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Ervic noticed her right hand was closed, as if she held something in
+it. She shut the cupboard door, bent over the crocodile and in a
+moment the creature had changed to a red wolf. It was not pretty even
+now, and the wolf crouched beside its mistress as a dog might have
+done. Its teeth looked as dangerous as had those of the crocodile.</p>
+
+<p>Next the Yookoohoo went about touching all the lizards and toads, and
+at her touch they became kittens. The rats she changed into chipmunks.
+Now the only horrid creatures remaining were the four great spiders,
+which hid themselves behind their thick webs.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There!&quot; Reera cried, &quot;now my cottage presents a more comfortable
+appearance. I love the toads and lizards and rats, because most people
+hate them, but I would tire of them if they always remained the same.
+Sometimes I change their forms a dozen times a day.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You are clever,&quot; said Ervic. &quot;I did not hear you utter any
+incantations or magic words. All you did was to touch the creatures.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, do you think so?&quot; she replied. &quot;Well, touch them yourself, if you
+like, and see if you can change their forms.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said the Skeezer, &quot;I don't understand magic and if I did I would
+not try to imitate your skill. You are a wonderful Yookoohoo, while I
+am only a common Skeezer.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>This confession seemed to please Reera, who liked to have her
+witchcraft appreciated.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Will you go away now?&quot; she asked. &quot;I prefer to be alone.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I prefer to stay here,&quot; said Ervic.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;In another person's home, where you are not wanted?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Is not your curiosity yet satisfied?&quot; demanded Reera, with a smile.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know. Is there anything else you can do?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Many things. But why should I exhibit my powers to a stranger?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I can think of no reason at all,&quot; he replied.</p>
+
+<p>She looked at him curiously.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You want no power for yourself, you say, and you're too stupid to be
+able to steal my secrets. This isn't a pretty cottage, while outside
+are sunshine, broad prairies and beautiful wildflowers. Yet you insist
+on sitting on that bench and annoying me with your unwelcome presence.
+What have you in that kettle?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Three fishes,&quot; he answered readily.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Where did you get them?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I caught them in the Lake of the Skeezers.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What do you intend to do with the fishes?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I shall carry them to the home of a friend of mine who has three
+children. The children will love to have the fishes for pets.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>She came over to the bench and looked into the kettle, where the three
+fishes were swimming quietly in the water.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They're pretty,&quot; said Reera. &quot;Let me transform them into something
+else.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; objected the Skeezer.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I love to transform things; it's so interesting. And I've never
+transformed any fishes in all my life.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let them alone,&quot; said Ervic.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What shapes would you prefer them to have? I can make them turtles,
+or cute little sea-horses; or I could make them piglets, or rabbits,
+or guinea-pigs; or, if you like I can make chickens of them, or
+eagles, or bluejays.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let them alone!&quot; repeated Ervic.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You're not a very pleasant visitor,&quot; laughed Red Reera. &quot;People
+accuse me of being cross and crabbed and unsociable, and they are
+quite right. If you had come here pleading and begging for favors, and
+half afraid of my Yookoohoo magic, I'd have abused you until you ran
+away; but you're quite different from that. You're the unsociable and
+crabbed and disagreeable one, and so I like you, and bear with your
+grumpiness. It's time for my midday meal; are you hungry?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; said Ervic, although he really desired food.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I am,&quot; Reera declared and clapped her hands together. Instantly
+a table appeared, spread with linen and bearing dishes of various
+foods, some smoking hot. There were two plates laid, one at each end
+of the table, and as soon as Reera seated herself all her creatures
+gathered around her, as if they were accustomed to be fed when she
+ate. The wolf squatted at her right hand and the kittens and chipmunks
+gathered at her left.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Come, Stranger, sit down and eat,&quot; she called cheerfully, &quot;and while
+we're eating let us decide into what forms we shall change your
+fishes.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They're all right as they are,&quot; asserted Ervic, drawing up his bench
+to the table. &quot;The fishes are beauties&mdash;one gold, one silver and one
+bronze. Nothing that has life is more lovely than a beautiful fish.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What! Am I not more lovely?&quot; Reera asked, smiling at his serious
+face.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't object to you&mdash;for a Yookoohoo, you know,&quot; he said, helping
+himself to the food and eating with good appetite.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And don't you consider a beautiful girl more lovely than a fish,
+however pretty the fish may be?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; replied Ervic, after a period of thought, &quot;that might be. If
+you transformed my three fish into three girls&mdash;girls who would be
+Adepts at Magic, you know they might please me as well as the fish do.
+You won't do that of course, because you can't, with all your skill.
+And, should you be able to do so, I fear my troubles would be more
+than I could bear. They would not consent to be my slaves&mdash;especially
+if they were Adepts at Magic&mdash;and so they would command me to obey
+them. No, Mistress Reeraq let us not transform the fishes at all.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The Skeezer had put his case with remarkable cleverness. He realized
+that if he appeared anxious for such a transformation the Yookoohoo
+would not perform it, yet he had skillfully suggested that they be
+made Adepts at Magic.</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h2><a name="CH19" id="CH19">Chapter Nineteen</a></h2>
+
+<h3>Red Reera, the Yookoohoo</h3>
+
+<p>After the meal was over and Reera had fed her pets, including the four
+monster spiders which had come down from their webs to secure their
+share, she made the table disappear from the floor of the cottage.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wish you'd consent to my transforming your fishes,&quot; she said, as
+she took up her knitting again.</p>
+
+<p>The Skeezer made no reply. He thought it unwise to hurry matters. All
+during the afternoon they sat silent. Once Reera went to her cupboard
+and after thrusting her hand into the same drawer as before, touched
+the wolf and transformed it into a bird with gorgeous colored
+feathers. This bird was larger than a parrot and of a somewhat
+different form, but Ervic had never seen one like it before.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Sing!&quot; said Reera to the bird, which had perched itself on a big
+wooden peg&mdash;as if it had been in the cottage before and knew just what
+to do.</p>
+
+<p>And the bird sang jolly, rollicking songs with words to them&mdash;just as
+a person who had been carefully trained might do. The songs were
+entertaining and Ervic enjoyed listening to them. In an hour or so the
+bird stopped singing, tucked its head under its wing and went to
+sleep. Reera continued knitting but seemed thoughtful.</p>
+
+<p>Now Ervic had marked this cupboard drawer well and had concluded that
+Reera took something from it which enabled her to perform her
+transformations. He thought that if he managed to remain in the
+cottage, and Reera fell asleep, he could slyly open the cupboard, take
+a portion of whatever was in the drawer, and by dropping it into the
+copper kettle transform the three fishes into their natural shapes.
+Indeed, he had firmly resolved to carry out this plan when the
+Yookoohoo put down her knitting and walked toward the door.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'm going out for a few minutes,&quot; said she; &quot;do you wish to go with
+me, or will you remain here?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Ervic did not answer but sat quietly on his bench. So Reera went out
+and closed the cottage door.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as she was gone, Ervic rose and tiptoed to the cupboard.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Take care! Take care!&quot; cried several voices, coming from the kittens
+and chipmunks. &quot;If you touch anything we'll tell the Yookoohoo!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Ervic hesitated a moment but, remembering that he need not consider
+Reera's anger if he succeeded in transforming the fishes, he was about
+to open the cupboard when he was arrested by the voices of the fishes,
+which stuck their heads above the water in the kettle and called out:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Come here, Ervic!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So he went back to the kettle and bent over it</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let the cupboard alone,&quot; said the goldfish to him earnestly. &quot;You
+could not succeed by getting that magic powder, for only the Yookoohoo
+knows how to use it. The best way is to allow her to transform us into
+three girls, for then we will have our natural shapes and be able to
+perform all the Arts of Magic we have learned and well understand. You
+are acting wisely and in the most effective manner. We did not know
+you were so intelligent, or that Reera could be so easily deceived by
+you. Continue as you have begun and try to persuade her to transform
+us. But insist that we be given the forms of girls.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The goldfish ducked its head down just as Reera re-entered the
+cottage. She saw Ervic bent over the kettle, so she came and joined
+him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Can your fishes talk?&quot; she asked.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Sometimes,&quot; he replied, &quot;for all fishes in the Land of Oz know how to
+speak. Just now they were asking me for some bread. They are hungry.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, they can have some bread,&quot; said Reera. &quot;But it is nearly
+supper-time, and if you would allow me to transform your fishes into
+girls they could join us at the table and have plenty of food much
+nicer than crumbs. Why not let me transform them?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Ervic, as if hesitating, &quot;ask the fishes. If they
+consent, why&mdash;why, then, I'll think it over.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Reera bent over the kettle and asked:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Can you hear me, little fishes?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>All three popped their heads above water.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We can hear you,&quot; said the bronzefish.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I want to give you other forms, such as rabbits, or turtles or girls,
+or something; but your master, the surly Skeezer, does not wish me to.
+However, he has agreed to the plan if you will consent.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We'd like to be girls,&quot; said the silverfish.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, no!&quot; exclaimed Ervic.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If you promise to make us three beautiful girls, we will consent,&quot;
+said the goldfish.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, no!&quot; exclaimed Ervic again.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Also make us Adepts at Magic,&quot; added the bronzefish.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know exactly what that means,&quot; replied Reera musingly, &quot;but
+as no Adept at Magic is as powerful as Yookoohoo, I'll add that to the
+transformation.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We won't try to harm you, or to interfere with your magic in any
+way,&quot; promised the goldfish. &quot;On the contrary, we will be your
+friends.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Will you agree to go away and leave me alone in my cottage, whenever
+I command you to do so?&quot; asked Reera.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We promise that,&quot; cried the three fishes.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Don't do it! Don't consent to the transformation,&quot; urged Ervic.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They have already consented,&quot; said the Yookoohoo, laughing in his
+face, &quot;and you have promised me to abide by their decision. So, friend
+Skeezer, I shall perform the transformation whether you like it or
+not.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Ervic seated himself on the bench again, a deep scowl on his face but
+joy in his heart. Reera moved over to the cupboard, took something
+from the drawer and returned to the copper kettle. She was clutching
+something tightly in her right hand, but with her left she reached
+within the kettle, took out the three fishes and laid them carefully
+on the floor, where they gasped in distress at being out of water.</p>
+
+<p>Reera did not keep them in misery more than a few seconds, for she
+touched each one with her right hand and instantly the fishes were
+transformed into three tall and slender young women, with fine,
+intelligent faces and clothed in handsome, clinging gowns. The one who
+had been a goldfish had beautiful golden hair and blue eyes and was
+exceedingly fair of skin; the one who had been a bronzefish had dark
+brown hair and clear gray eyes and her complexion matched these lovely
+features. The one who had been a silverfish had snow-white hair of the
+finest texture and deep brown eyes. The hair contrasted exquisitely
+with her pink cheeks and ruby-red lips, nor did it make her look a day
+older than her two companions.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as they secured these girlish shapes, all three bowed low to
+the Yookoohoo and said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We thank you, Reera.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Then they bowed to the Skeezer and said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We thank you, Ervic.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very good!&quot; cried the Yookoohoo, examining her work with critical
+approval. &quot;You are much better and more interesting than fishes, and
+this ungracious Skeezer would scarcely allow me to do the
+transformations. You surely have nothing to thank him for. But now let
+us dine in honor of the occasion.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>She clapped her hands together and again a table loaded with food
+appeared in the cottage. It was a longer table, this time, and places
+were set for the three Adepts as well as for Reera and Ervic.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Sit down, friends, and eat your fill,&quot; said the Yookoohoo, but
+instead of seating herself at the head of the table she went to the
+cupboard, saying to the Adepts: &quot;Your beauty and grace, my fair
+friends, quite outshine my own. So that I may appear properly at the
+banquet table I intend, in honor of this occasion, to take upon myself
+my natural shape.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Scarcely had she finished this speech when Reera transformed herself
+into a young woman fully as lovely as the three Adepts. She was not
+quite so tall as they, but her form was more rounded and more
+handsomely clothed, with a wonderful jeweled girdle and a necklace of
+shining pearls. Her hair was a bright auburn red, and her eyes large
+and dark.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do you claim this is your natural form?&quot; asked Ervic of the
+Yookoohoo.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; she replied. &quot;This is the only form I am really entitled to
+wear. But I seldom assume it because there is no one here to admire or
+appreciate it and I get tired admiring it myself.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I see now why you are named Reera the Red,&quot; remarked Ervic.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is on account of my red hair,&quot; she explained smiling. &quot;I do not
+care for red hair myself, which is one reason I usually wear other
+forms.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is beautiful,&quot; asserted the young man; and then remembering the
+other women present he added: &quot;But, of course, all women should not
+have red hair, because that would make it too common. Gold and silver
+and brown hair are equally handsome.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The smiles that he saw interchanged between the four filled the poor
+Skeezer with embarrassment, so he fell silent and attended to eating
+his supper, leaving the others to do the talking. The three Adepts
+frankly told Reera who they were, how they became fishes and how they
+had planned secretly to induce the Yookoohoo to transform them. They
+admitted that they had feared, had they asked her to help, that she
+would have refused them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You were quite right,&quot; returned the Yookoohoo. &quot;I make it my rule
+never to perform magic to assist others, for if I did there would
+always be crowd at my cottage demanding help and I hate crowds and
+want to be left alone.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;However, now that you are restored to your proper shapes, I do not
+regret my action and I hope you will be of use in saving the Skeezer
+people by raising their island to the surface of the lake, where it
+really belongs. But you must promise me that after you go away you
+will never come here again, nor tell anyone what I have done for you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The three Adepts and Ervic thanked the Yookoohoo warmly. They promised
+to remember her wish that they should not come to her cottage again
+and so, with a good-bye, took their departure.</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h2><a name="CH20" id="CH20">Chapter Twenty</a></h2>
+
+<h3>A Puzzling Problem</h3>
+
+<p>Glinda the Good, having decided to try her sorcery upon the abandoned
+submarine, so that it would obey her commands, asked all of her party,
+including the Skeezers, to withdraw from the shore of the take to the
+line of palm trees. She kept with her only the little Wizard of Oz,
+who was her pupil and knew how to assist her in her magic rites. When
+they two were alone beside the stranded boat, Glinda said to the
+Wizard:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I shall first try my magic recipe No. 1163, which is intended to make
+inanimate objects move at my command. Have you a skeropythrope with
+you?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, I always carry one in my bag,&quot; replied the Wizard. He opened his
+black bag of magic tools and took out a brightly polished
+skeropythrope, which he handed to the Sorceress. Glinda had also
+brought a small wicker bag, containing various requirements of
+sorcery, and from this she took a parcel of powder and a vial of
+liquid. She poured the liquid into the skeropythrope and added the
+powder. At once the skeropythrope began to sputter and emit sparks of
+a violet color, which spread in all directions. The Sorceress
+instantly stepped into the middle of the boat and held the instrument
+so that the sparks fell all around her and covered every bit of the
+blackened steel boat. At the same time Glinda crooned a weird
+incantation in the language of sorcery, her voice sounding low and
+musical.</p>
+
+<p>After a little the violet sparks ceased, and those that had fallen
+upon the boat had disappeared and left no mark upon its surface. The
+ceremony was ended and Glinda returned the skeropythrope to the
+Wizard, who put it away in his black bag.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That ought to do the business all right,&quot; he said confidently</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let us make a trial and see,&quot; she replied.</p>
+
+<p>So they both entered the boat and seated themselves.</p>
+
+<p>Speaking in a tone of command the Sorceress said to the boat: &quot;Carry
+us across the lake, to the farther shore.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>At once the boat backed off the sandy beach, turned its prow and moved
+swiftly over the water.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very good&mdash;very good indeed!&quot; cried the Wizard, when the boat slowed
+up at the shore opposite from that whence they had departed. &quot;Even
+Coo-ee-oh, with all her witchcraft, could do no better.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The Sorceress now said to the boat:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Close up, submerge and carry us to the basement door of the sunken
+island&mdash;the door from which you emerged at the command of Queen
+Coo-ee-oh.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The boat obeyed. As it sank into the water the top sections rose from
+the sides and joined together over the heads of Glinda and the Wizard,
+who were thus enclosed in a water-proof chamber. There were four glass
+windows in this covering, one on each side and one on either end, so
+that the passengers could see exactly where they were going. Moving
+under water more slowly than on the surface, the submarine gradually
+approached the island and halted with its bow pressed against the huge
+marble door in the basement under the Dome. This door was tightly
+closed and it was evident to both Glinda and the Wizard that it would
+not open to admit the underwater boat unless a magic word was spoken
+by them or someone from within the basement of the island. But what
+was this magic word? Neither of them knew.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'm afraid,&quot; said the Wizard regretfully, &quot;that we can't get in,
+after all. Unless your sorcery can discover the word to open the
+marble door.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That is probably some word only known to Coo-ce-oh,&quot; replied the
+Sorceress. &quot;I may be able to discover what it is, but that will
+require time. Let us go back again to our companions.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It seems a shame, after we have made the boat obey us, to be balked
+by just a marble door,&quot; grumbled the Wizard.</p>
+
+<p>At Glinda's command the boat rose until it was on a level with the
+glass dome that covered the Skeezer village, when the Sorceress made
+it slowly circle all around the Great Dome.</p>
+
+<p>Many faces were pressed against the glass from the inside, eagerly
+watching the submarine, and in one place were Dorothy and Ozma, who
+quickly recognized Glinda and the Wizard through the glass windows of
+the boat. Glinda saw them, too, and held the boat close to the Dome
+while the friends exchanged greetings in pantomime. Their voices,
+unfortunately, could not be heard through the Dome and the water and
+the side of the boat. The Wizard tried to make the girls understand,
+through signs, that he and Glinda had come to their rescue, and Ozma
+and Dorothy understood this from the very fact that the Sorceress and
+the Wizard had appeared. The two girl prisoners were smiling and in
+safety, and knowing this Glinda felt she could take all the time
+necessary in order to effect their final rescue.</p>
+
+<p>As nothing more could be done just then, Glinda ordered the boat to
+return to shore and it obeyed readily. First it ascended to the
+surface of the water, then the roof parted and fell into the slots at
+the side of the boat, and then the magic craft quickly made the shore
+and beached itself on the sands at the very spot from which it had
+departed at Glinda's command. All the Oz people and the Skeezers at
+once ran to the boat to ask if they had reached the island, and
+whether they had seen Ozma and Dorothy. The Wizard told them of the
+obstacle they had met in the way of a marble door, and how Glinda
+would now undertake to find a magic way to conquer the door.</p>
+
+<p>Realizing that it would require several days to succeed in reaching
+the island raising it and liberating their friends and the Skeezer
+people, Glinda now prepared a camp half way between the lake shore and
+the palm trees.</p>
+
+<p>The Wizard's wizardry made a number of tents appear and the sorcery of
+the Sorceress furnished these tents all complete, with beds, chairs,
+tables, flags, lamps and even books with which to pass idle hours. All
+the tents had the Royal Banner of Oz flying from the centerpoles and
+one big tent, not now occupied, had Ozma's own banner moving in the
+breeze.</p>
+
+<p>Betsy and Trot had a tent to themselves, and Button Bright and Ojo had
+another. The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman paired together in one tent
+and so did Jack Pumpkinhead and the Shaggy Man, Cap'n Bill and Uncle
+Henry, Tik-Tok and Professor Wogglebug. Glinda had the most splendid
+tent of all, except that reserved for Ozma, while the Wizard had a
+little one of his own. Whenever it was meal time, tables loaded with
+food magically appeared in the tents of those who were in the habit of
+eating, and these complete arrangements made the rescue party just
+comfortable as they would have been in their own homes.</p>
+
+<p>Far into the night Glinda sat in her tent studying a roll of mystic
+scrolls in search of a word that would open the basement door of the
+island and admit her to the Great Dome. She also made many magical
+experiments, hoping to discover something that would aid her. Yet the
+morning found the powerful Sorceress still unsuccessful.</p>
+
+<p>Glinda's art could have opened any ordinary door, you may be sure, but
+you must realize that this marble door of the island had been
+commanded not to open save in obedience to one magic word, and
+therefore all other magic words could have no effect upon it. The
+magic word that guarded the door had probably been invented by
+Coo-ee-oh, who had now forgotten it. The only way, then, to gain
+entrance to the sunken island was to break the charm that held the
+door fast shut. If this could be done no magic would be required to
+open it.</p>
+
+<p>The next day the Sorceress and the Wizard again entered the boat and
+made it submerge and go to the marble door, which they tried in
+various ways to open, but without success.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We shall have to abandon this attempt, I think,&quot; said Glinda. &quot;The
+easiest way to raise the island would be for us to gain admittance to
+the Dome and then descend to the basement and see in what manner
+Coo-ee-oh made the entire island sink or rise at her command. It
+naturally occurred to me that the easiest way to gain admittance would
+be by having the boat take us into the basement through the marble
+door from which Coo-ee-oh launched it. But there must be other ways to
+get inside the Dome and join Ozma and Dorothy, and such ways we must
+find by study and the proper use of our powers of magic.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It won't be easy,&quot; declared the Wizard, &quot;for we must not forget that
+Ozma herself understands considerable magic, and has doubtless tried
+to raise the island or find other means of escape from it and failed.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That is true,&quot; returned Glinda, &quot;but Ozma's magic is fairy magic,
+while you are a Wizard and I am a Sorceress. In this way the three of
+us have a great variety of magic to work with, and if we should all
+fail it will be because the island is raised and lowered by a magic
+power none of us is acquainted with. My idea therefore is to seek&mdash;by
+such magic as we possess&mdash;to accomplish our object in another way.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They made the circle of the Dome again in their boat, and once more
+saw Ozma and Dorothy through their windows and exchanged signals with
+the two imprisoned girls.</p>
+
+<p>Ozma realized that her friends were doing all in their power to rescue
+her and smiled an encouragement to their efforts. Dorothy seemed a
+little anxious but was trying to be as brave as her companion.</p>
+
+<p>After the boat had returned to the camp and Glinda was seated in her
+tent, working out various ways by which Ozma and Dorothy could be
+rescued, the Wizard stood on the shore dreamily eying the outlines of
+the Great Dome which showed beneath the clear water, when he raised
+his eyes and saw a group of strange people approaching from around the
+lake. Three were young women of stately presence, very beautifully
+dressed, who moved with remarkable grace. They were followed at a
+little distance by a good-looking young Skeezer.</p>
+
+<p>The Wizard saw at a glance that these people might be very important,
+so he advanced to meet them. The three maidens received him graciously
+and the one with the golden hair said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I believe you are the famous Wizard of Oz, of whom I have often
+heard. We are seeking Glinda, the Sorceress, and perhaps you can lead
+us to her.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I can, and will, right gladly,&quot; answered the Wizard. &quot;Follow me,
+please.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The little Wizard was puzzled as to the identity of the three lovely
+visitors but he gave no sign that might embarrass them.</p>
+
+<p>He understood they did not wish to be questioned, and so he made no
+remarks as he led the way to Glinda's tent.</p>
+
+<p>With a courtly bow the Wizard ushered the three visitors into the
+gracious presence of Glinda, the Good.</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h2><a name="CH21" id="CH21">Chapter Twenty-One</a></h2>
+
+<h3>The Three Adepts</h3>
+
+<p>The Sorceress looked up from her work as the three maidens entered,
+and something in their appearance and manner led her to rise and bow
+to them in her most dignified manner. The three knelt an instant
+before the great Sorceress and then stood upright and waited for her
+to speak.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Whoever you may be,&quot; said Glinda, &quot;I bid you welcome.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;My name is Audah,&quot; said one.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;My name is Aurah,&quot; said another.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;My name is Aujah,&quot; said the third.</p>
+
+<p>Glinda had never heard these names before, but looking closely at the
+three she asked:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Are you witches or workers in magic?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Some of the secret arts we have gleaned from Nature,&quot; replied the
+brownhaired maiden modestly, &quot;but we do not place our skill beside
+that of the Great Sorceress, Glinda the Good.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I suppose you are aware it is unlawful to practice magic in the Land
+of Oz, without the permission of our Ruler, Princess Ozma?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, we were not aware of that,&quot; was the reply. &quot;We have heard of
+Ozma, who is the appointed Ruler of all this great fairyland, but her
+laws have not reached us, as yet.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Glinda studied the strange maidens thoughtfully; then she said to
+them:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Princess Ozma is even now imprisoned in the Skeezer village, for the
+whole island with its Great Dome, was sunk to the bottom of the lake
+by the witchcraft of Coo-ee-oh, whom the Flathead Su-dic transformed
+into a silly swan. I am seeking some way to overcome Coo-ee-oh's magic
+and raise the isle to the surface again. Can you help me do this?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The maidens exchanged glances, and the white-haired one replied</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We do not know; but we will try to assist you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It seems,&quot; continued Glinda musingly, &quot;that Coo-ee-oh derived most of
+her witchcraft from three Adepts at Magic, who at one time ruled the
+Flatheads. While the Adepts were being entertained by Coo-ee-oh at a
+banquet in her palace, she cruelly betrayed them and after
+transforming them into fishes cast them into the lake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If I could find these three fishes and return them to their natural
+shapes&mdash;they might know what magic Coo-ee-oh used to sink the island.
+I was about to go to the shore and call these fishes to me when you
+arrived. So, if you will join me, we will try to find them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The maidens exchanged smiles now, and the golden-haired one, Audah,
+said to Glinda:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It will not be necessary to go to the lake. We are the three fishes.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Indeed!&quot; cried Glinda. &quot;Then you are the three Adepts at Magic,
+restored to your proper forms?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We are the three Adepts,&quot; admitted Aujah.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then,&quot; said Glinda, &quot;my task is half accomplished. But who destroyed
+the transformation that made you fishes?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We have promised not to tell,&quot; answered Aurah; &quot;but this young
+Skeezer was largely responsible for our release; he is brave and
+clever, and we owe him our gratitude.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Glinda looked at Ervic, who stood modestly behind the Adepts, hat in
+hand. &quot;He shall be properly rewarded,&quot; she declared, &quot;for in helping
+you he has helped us all, and perhaps saved his people from being
+imprisoned forever in the sunken isle.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The Sorceress now asked her guests to seat themselves and a long talk
+followed, in which the Wizard of Oz shared.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We are quite certain,&quot; said Aurah, &quot;that if we could get inside the
+Dome we could discover Coo-ee-oh's secrets, for in all her work, after
+we became fishes, she used the formulas and incantations and arts that
+she stole from us. She may have added to these things, but they were
+the foundation of all her work.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What means do you suggest for our getting into the Dome?&quot; inquired
+Glinda.</p>
+
+<p>The three Adepts hesitated to reply, for they had not yet considered
+what could be done to reach the inside of the Great Dome. While they
+were in deep thought, and Glinda and the Wizard were quietly awaiting
+their suggestions, into the tent rushed Trot and Betsy, dragging
+between them the Patchwork Girl.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, Glinda,&quot; cried Trot, &quot;Scraps has thought of a way to rescue Ozma
+and Dorothy and all of the Skeezers.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The three Adepts could not avoid laughing merrily, for not only were
+they amused by the queer form of the Patchwork Girl, but Trot's
+enthusiastic speech struck them as really funny. If the Great
+Sorceress and the famous Wizard and the three talented Adepts at Magic
+were unable as yet to solve the important problem of the sunken isle,
+there was little chance for a patched girl stuffed with cotton to
+succeed.</p>
+
+<p>But Glinda, smiling indulgently at the earnest faces turned toward
+her, patted the children's heads and said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Scraps is very clever. Tell us what she has thought of, my dear.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; said Trot, &quot;Scraps says that if you could dry up all the water
+in the lake the island would be on dry land, an' everyone could come
+and go whenever they liked.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Glinda smiled again, but the Wizard said to the girls:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If we should dry up the lake, what would become of all the beautiful
+fishes that now live in the water?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Dear me! That's so,&quot; admitted Betsy, crestfallen; &quot;we never thought
+of that, did we Trot?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Couldn't you transform 'em into polliwogs?&quot; asked Scraps, turning a
+somersault and then standing on one leg. &quot;You could give them a
+little, teeny pond to swim in, and they'd be just as happy as they are
+as fishes.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No indeed!&quot; replied the Wizard, severely. &quot;It is wicked to transform
+any living creatures without their consent, and the lake is the home
+of the fishes and belongs to them.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;All right,&quot; said Scraps, making a face at him; &quot;I don't care.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's too bad,&quot; sighed Trot, &quot;for I thought we'd struck a splendid
+idea.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;So you did,&quot; declared Glinda, her face now grave and thoughtful.
+&quot;There is something in the Patchwork Girl's idea that may be of real
+value to us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I think so, too,&quot; agreed the golden-haired Adept. &quot;The top of the
+Great Dome is only a few feet below the surface of the water. If we
+could reduce the level of the lake until the Dome sticks a little
+above the water, we could remove some of the glass and let ourselves
+down into the village by means of ropes.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And there would be plenty of water left for the fishes to swim in,&quot;
+added the white-haired maiden.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If we succeed in raising the island we could fill up the lake again,&quot;
+suggested the brown-haired Adept.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I believe,&quot; said the Wizard, rubbing his hands together in delight,
+&quot;that the Patchwork Girl has shown us the way to success.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The girls were looking curiously at the three beautiful Adepts,
+wondering who they were, so Glinda introduced them to Trot and Betsy
+and Scraps, and then sent the children away while she considered how
+to carry the new idea into effect.</p>
+
+<p>Not much could be done that night, so the Wizard prepared another tent
+for the Adepts, and in the evening Glinda held a reception and invited
+all her followers to meet the new arrivals. The Adepts were greatly
+astonished at the extraordinary personages presented to them, and
+marveled that Jack Pumpkinhead and the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman
+and Tik-Tok could really live and think and talk just like other
+people. They were especially pleased with the lively Patchwork Girl
+and loved to watch her antics.</p>
+
+<p>It was quite a pleasant party, for Glinda served some dainty
+refreshments to those who could eat, and the Scarecrow recited some
+poems, and the Cowardly Lion sang a song in his deep bass voice. The
+only thing that marred their joy was the thought that their beloved
+Ozma and dear little Dorothy were yet confined in the Great Dome of
+the Sunken island.</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h2><a name="CH22" id="CH22">Chapter Twenty-Two</a></h2>
+
+<h3>The Sunken Island</h3>
+
+<p>As soon as they had breakfasted the next morning, Glinda and the
+Wizard and the three Adepts went down to the shore of the lake and
+formed a line with their faces toward the submerged island. All the
+others came to watch them, but stood at a respectful distance in the
+background.</p>
+
+<p>At the right of the Sorceress stood Audah and Aurah, while at the left
+stood the Wizard and Aujah. Together they stretched their arms over
+the water's edge and in unison the five chanted a rhythmic
+incantation.</p>
+
+<p>This chant they repeated again and again, swaying their arms gently
+from side to side, and in a few minutes the watchers behind them
+noticed that the lake had begun to recede from the shore. Before long
+the highest point of the dome appeared above the water. Gradually the
+water fell, making the dome appear to rise. When it was three or four
+feet above the surface Glinda gave the signal to stop, for their work
+had been accomplished.</p>
+
+<p>The blackened submarine was now entirely out of water, but Uncle Henry
+and Cap'n Bill managed to push it into the lake. Glinda, the Wizard,
+Ervic and the Adepts got into the boat, taking with them a coil of
+strong rope, and at the command of the Sorceress the craft cleaved its
+way through the water toward the part of the Dome which was now
+visible.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There's still plenty of water for the fish to swim in,&quot; observed the
+Wizard as they rode along. &quot;They might like more but I'm sure they can
+get along until we have raised the island and can fill up the lake
+again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The boat touched gently on the sloping glass of the Dome, and the
+Wizard took some tools from his black bag and quickly removed one
+large pane of glass, thus making a hole large enough for their bodies
+to pass through. Stout frames of steel supported the glass of the
+Dome, and around one of these frames the Wizard tied the end of a
+rope.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'll go down first,&quot; said he, &quot;for while I'm not as spry as Cap'n
+Bill I'm sure I can manage it easily. Are you sure the rope is long
+enough to reach the bottom?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Quite sure,&quot; replied the Sorceress.</p>
+
+<p>So the Wizard let down the rope and climbing through the opening
+lowered himself down, hand over hand, clinging to the rope with his
+legs and feet. Below in the streets of the village were gathered all
+the Skeezers, men, women and children, and you may be sure that Ozma
+and Dorothy, with Lady Aurex, were filled with joy that their friends
+were at last coming to their rescue.</p>
+
+<p>The Queen's palace, now occupied by Ozma, was directly in the center
+of the Dome, so that when the rope was let down the end of it came
+just in front of the palace entrance. Several Skeezers held fast to
+the rope's end to steady it and the Wizard reached the ground in
+safety. He hugged first Ozma and then Dorothy, while all the Skeezers
+cheered as loud as they could.</p>
+
+<p>The Wizard now discovered that the rope was long enough to reach from
+the top of the Dome to the ground when doubled, so he tied a chair to
+one end of the rope and called to Glinda to sit in the chair while he
+and some of the Skeezers lowered her to the pavement. In this way the
+Sorceress reached the ground quite comfortably and the three Adepts
+and Ervic soon followed her.</p>
+
+<p>The Skeezers quickly recognized the three Adepts at Magic, whom they
+had learned to respect before their wicked Queen betrayed them, and
+welcomed them as friends. All the inhabitants of the village had been
+greatly frightened by their imprisonment under water, but now realized
+that an attempt was to be made to rescue them.</p>
+
+<p>Glinda, the Wizard and the Adepts followed Ozma and Dorothy into the
+palace, and they asked Lady Aurex and Ervic to join them. After Ozma
+had told of her adventures in trying to prevent war between the
+Flatheads and the Skeezers, and Glinda had told all about the Rescue
+Expedition and the restoration of the three Adepts by the help of
+Ervic, a serious consultation was held as to how the island could be
+made to rise.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I've tried every way in my power,&quot; said Ozma, &quot;but Coo-ee-oh used a
+very unusual sort of magic which I do not understand. She seems to
+have prepared her witchcraft in such a way that a spoken word is
+necessary to accomplish her designs, and these spoken words are known
+only to herself.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That is a method we taught her,&quot; declared Aurah the Adept.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I can do no more, Glinda,&quot; continued Ozma, &quot;so I wish you would try
+what your sorcery can accomplish.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;First, then,&quot; said Glinda, &quot;let us visit the basement of the island,
+which I am told is underneath the village.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>A flight of marble stairs led from one of Coo-ee-oh's private rooms
+down to the basement, but when the party arrived all were puzzled by
+what they saw. In the center of a broad, low room, stood a mass of
+great cog-wheels, chains and pulleys, all interlocked and seeming to
+form a huge machine; but there was no engine or other motive power to
+make the wheels turn.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;This, I suppose, is the means by which the island is lowered or
+raised,&quot; said Ozma, &quot;but the magic word which is needed to move the
+machinery is unknown to us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The three Adepts were carefully examining the mass of wheels, and soon
+the golden-haired one said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;These wheels do not control the island at all. On the contrary, one
+set of them is used to open the doors of the little rooms where the
+submarines are kept, as may be seen from the chains and pulleys used.
+Each boat is kept in a little room with two doors, one to the basement
+room where we are now and the other letting into the lake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;When Coo-ee-oh used the boat in which she attacked the Flatheads, she
+first commanded the basement door to open and with her followers she
+got into the boat and made the top close over them. Then the basement
+door being closed, the outer door was slowly opened, letting the water
+fill the room to float the boat, which then left the island, keeping
+under water.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But how could she expect to get back again?&quot; asked the Wizard.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why the boat would enter the room filled with water and after the
+outer door was closed a word of command started a pump which pumped
+all the water from the room. Then the boat would open and Coo-ee-oh
+could enter the basement.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I see,&quot; said the Wizard. &quot;It is a clever contrivance, but won't work
+unless one knows the magic words.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Another part of this machinery,&quot; explained the white-haired Adept,
+&quot;is used to extend the bridge from the island to the mainland. The
+steel bridge is in a room much like that in which the boats are kept,
+and at Coo-ce-oh's command it would reach out, joint by joint, until
+its far end touched the shore of the lake. The same magic command
+would make the bridge return to its former position. Of course the
+bridge could not be used unless the island was on the surface of the
+water.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But how do you suppose Coo-ee-oh managed to sink the island, and make
+it rise again?&quot; inquired Glinda.</p>
+
+<p>This the Adepts could not yet explain. As nothing more could be
+learned from the basement they mounted the steps to the Queen's
+private suite again, and Ozma showed them to a special room where
+Coo-ee-oh kept her magical instruments and performed all her arts of
+witchcraft.</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h2><a name="CH23" id="CH23">Chapter Twenty-Three</a></h2>
+
+<h3>The Magic Words</h3>
+
+<p>Many interesting things were to be seen in the Room of Magic,
+including much that had been stolen from the Adepts when they were
+transformed to fishes, but they had to admit that Coo-ee-oh had a rare
+genius for mechanics, and had used her knowledge in inventing a lot of
+mechanical apparatus that ordinary witches, wizards and sorcerers
+could not understand.</p>
+
+<p>They all carefully inspected this room, taking care to examine every
+article they came across.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The island,&quot; said Glinda thoughtfully, &quot;rests on a base of solid
+marble. When it is submerged, as it is now, the base of the island is
+upon the bottom of the lake. What puzzles me is how such a great
+weight can be lifted and suspended in the water, even by magic.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I now remember,&quot; returned Aujah, &quot;that one of the arts we taught
+Coo-ee-oh was the way to expand steel, and I think that explains how
+the island is raised and lowered. I noticed in the basement a big
+steel pillar that passed through the floor and extended upward to this
+palace. Perhaps the end of it is concealed in this very room. If the
+lower end of the steel pillar is firmly embedded in the bottom of the
+lake, Coo-ee-oh could utter a magic word that would make the pillar
+expand, and so lift the entire island to the level of the water.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I've found the end of the steel pillar. It's just here,&quot; announced
+the Wizard, pointing to one side of the room where a great basin of
+polished steel seemed to have been set upon the floor.</p>
+
+<p>They all gathered around, and Ozma said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, I am quite sure that is the upper end of the pillar that
+supports the island. I noticed it when I first came here. It has been
+hollowed out, you see, and something has been burned in the basin, for
+the fire has left its marks. I wondered what was under the great basin
+and got several of the Skeezers to come up here and try to lift it for
+me. They were strong men, but could not move it at all.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It seems to me,&quot; said Audah the Adept, &quot;that we have discovered the
+manner in which Coo-ee-oh raised the island. She would burn some sort
+of magic powder in the basin, utter the magic word, and the pillar
+would lengthen out and lift the island with it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What's this?&quot; asked Dorothy, who had been searching around with the
+others, and now noticed a slight hollow in the wall, near to where the
+steel basin stood. As she spoke Dorothy pushed her thumb into the
+hollow and instantly a small drawer popped out from the wall.</p>
+
+<p>The three Adepts, Glinda and the Wizard sprang forward and peered into
+the drawer. It was half filled with a grayish powder, the tiny grains
+of which constantly moved as if impelled by some living force.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It may be some kind of radium,&quot; said the Wizard.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; replied Glinda, &quot;it is more wonderful than even radium, for I
+recognize it as a rare mineral powder called Gaulau by the sorcerers.
+I wonder how Coo-ee-oh discovered it and where she obtained it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There is no doubt,&quot; said Aujah the Adept, &quot;that this is the magic
+powder Coo-ee-oh burned in the basin. If only we knew the magic word,
+I am quite sure we could raise the island.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How can we discover the magic word?&quot; asked Ozma, turning to Glinda as
+she spoke.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That we must now seriously consider,&quot; answered the Sorceress.</p>
+
+<p>So all of them sat down in the Room of Magic and began to think. It
+was so still that after a while Dorothy grew nervous. The little girl
+never could keep silent for long, and at the risk of displeasing her
+magic-working friends she suddenly said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, Coo-ee-oh used just three magic words, one to make the bridge
+work, and one to make the submarines go out of their holes, and one to
+raise and lower the island. Three words. And Coo-ee-oh's name is made
+up of just three words. One is 'Coo,' and one is 'ee,' and one is
+'oh.'&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The Wizard frowned but Glinda looked wonderingly at the young girl and
+Ozma cried out:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;A good thought, Dorothy dear! You may have solved our problem.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I believe it is worth a trial,&quot; agreed Glinda. &quot;It would be quite
+natural for Coo-ee-oh to divide her name into three magic syllables,
+and Dorothy's suggestion seems like an inspiration.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The three Adepts also approved the trial but the brown-haired one
+said:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We must be careful not to use the wrong word, and send the bridge out
+under water. The main thing, if Dorothy's idea is correct, is to hit
+upon the one word that moves the island.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let us experiment,&quot; suggested the Wizard.</p>
+
+<p>In the drawer with the moving gray powder was a tiny golden cup, which
+they thought was used for measuring. Glinda filled this cup with the
+powder and carefully poured it into the shallow basin, which was the
+top of the great steel pillar supporting the island. Then Aurah the
+Adept lighted a taper and touched it to the powder, which instantly
+glowed fiery red and tumbled about the basin with astonishing energy.
+While the grains of powder still glowed red the Sorceress bent over it
+and said in a voice of command: &quot;Coo!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They waited motionless to see what would happen. There was a grating
+noise and a whirl of machinery, but the island did not move a
+particle.</p>
+
+<p>Dorothy rushed to the window, which overlooked the glass side of the
+dome.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The boats!&quot; she exclaimed. &quot;The boats are all loose an' sailing under
+water.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We've made a mistake,&quot; said the Wizard gloomily.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But it's one which shows we are on the right track,&quot; declared Aujah
+the Adept. &quot;We know now that Coo-ee-oh used the syllables of her name
+for the magic words.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If 'Coo' sends out the boats, it is probable that ee' works the
+bridge,&quot; suggested Ozma. &quot;So the last part of the name may raise the
+island.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Let us try that next then,&quot; proposed the Wizard.</p>
+
+<p>He scraped the embers of the burned powder out of the basin and Glinda
+again filled the golden cup from the drawer and placed it on top the
+steel pillar. Aurah lighted it with her taper and Ozma bent over the
+basin and murmured the long drawn syllable: &quot;Oh-h-h!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Instantly the island trembled and with a weird groaning noise it moved
+upward&mdash;slowly, very slowly, but with a steady motion, while all the
+company stood by in awed silence. It was a wonderful thing, even to
+those skilled in the arts of magic, wizardry and sorcery, to realize
+that a single word could raise that great, heavy island, with its
+immense glass Dome.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, we're way above the lake now!&quot; exclaimed Dorothy from the
+window, when at last the island ceased to move.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That is because we lowered the level of the water,&quot; explained Glinda.</p>
+
+<p>They could hear the Skeezers cheering lustily in the streets of the
+village as they realized that they were saved.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Come,&quot; said Ozma eagerly, &quot;let us go down and join the people.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not just yet,&quot; returned Glinda, a happy smile upon her lovely face,
+for she was overjoyed at their success. &quot;First let us extend the
+bridge to the mainland, where our friends from the Emerald City are
+waiting.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>It didn't take long to put more powder in the basin, light it and
+utter the syllable &quot;EE!&quot; The result was that a door in the basement
+opened and the steel bridge moved out, extended itself joint by joint,
+and finally rested its far end on the shore of the lake just in front
+of the encampment.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now,&quot; said Glinda, &quot;we can go up and receive the congratulations of
+the Skeezers and of our friends of the Rescue Expedition.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Across the water, on the shore of the lake, the Patchwork Girl was
+waving them a welcome.</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h2><a name="CH24" id="CH24">Chapter Twenty-Four</a></h2>
+
+<h3>Glinda's Triumph</h3>
+
+
+
+<p>Of course all those who had joined Glinda's expedition at once crossed
+the bridge to the island, where they were warmly welcomed by the
+Skeezers. Before all the concourse of people Princess Ozma made a
+speech from a porch of the palace and demanded that they recognize her
+as their lawful Ruler and promise to obey the laws of the Land of Oz.
+In return she agreed to protect them from all future harm and declared
+they would no longer be subjected to cruelty and abuse.</p>
+
+<p>This pleased the Skeezers greatly, and when Ozma told them they might
+elect a Queen to rule over them, who in turn would be subject to Ozma
+of Oz, they voted for Lady Aurex, and that same day the ceremony of
+crowning the new Queen was held and Aurex was installed as mistress of
+the palace.</p>
+
+<p>For her Prime Minister the Queen selected Ervic, for the three Adepts
+had told of his good judgment, faithfulness and cleverness, and all
+the Skeezers approved the appointment.</p>
+
+<p>Glinda, the Wizard and the Adepts stood on the bridge and recited an
+incantation that quite filled the lake with water again, and the
+Scarecrow and the Patchwork Girl climbed to the top of the Great Dome
+and replaced the pane of glass that had been removed to allow Glinda
+and her followers to enter.</p>
+
+<p>When evening came Ozma ordered a great feast prepared, to which every
+Skeezer was invited. The village was beautifully decorated and
+brilliantly lighted and there was music and dancing until a late hour
+to celebrate the liberation of the people. For the Skeezers had been
+freed, not only from the water of the lake but from the cruelty of
+their former Queen.</p>
+
+<p>As the people from the Emerald City prepared the next morning to
+depart Queen Aurex said to Ozma:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There is only one thing I now fear for my people, and that is the
+enmity of the terrible Su-dic of the Flatheads. He is liable to come
+here at any time and try to annoy us, and my Skeezers are peaceful
+folks and unable to fight the wild and wilful Flatheads.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do not worry,&quot; returned Ozma, reassuringly. &quot;We intend to stop on our
+way at the Flatheads' Enchanted Mountain and punish the Su-dic for his
+misdeeds.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>That satisfied Aurex and when Ozma and her followers trooped over the
+bridge to the shore, having taken leave of their friends, all the
+Skeezers cheered them and waved their hats and handkerchiefs, and the
+band played and the departure was indeed a ceremony long to be
+remembered.</p>
+
+<p>The three Adepts at Magic, who had formerly ruled the Flatheads wisely
+and considerately, went with Princess Ozma and her people, for they
+had promised Ozma to stay on the mountain and again see that the laws
+were enforced.</p>
+
+<p>Glinda had been told all about the curious Flatheads and she had
+consulted with the Wizard and formed a plan to render them more
+intelligent and agreeable.</p>
+
+<p>When the party reached the mountain Ozma and Dorothy showed them how
+to pass around the invisible wall&mdash;which had been built by the
+Flatheads after the Adepts were transformed&mdash;and how to gain the
+up-and-down stairway that led to the mountain top.</p>
+
+<p>The Su-dic had watched the approach of the party from the edge of the
+mountain and was frightened when he saw that the three Adepts had
+recovered their natural forms and were coming back to their former
+home. He realized that his power would soon be gone and yet he
+determined to fight to the last. He called all the Flatheads together
+and armed them, and told them to arrest all who came up the stairway
+and hurl them over the edge of the mountain to the plain below. But
+although they feared the Supreme Dictator, who had threatened to
+punish them if they did not obey his commands, as soon as they saw the
+three Adepts they threw down their arms and begged their former rulers
+to protect them.</p>
+
+<p>The three Adepts assured the excited Flatheads that they had nothing
+to fear.</p>
+
+<p>Seeing that his people had rebelled the Su-dic ran away and tried to
+hide, but the Adepts found him and had him cast into a prison, all his
+cans of brains being taken away from him.</p>
+
+<p>After this easy conquest of the Su-dic, Glinda told the Adepts of her
+plan, which had already been approved by Ozma of Oz, and they joyfully
+agreed to it. So, during the next few days, the great Sorceress
+transformed, in a way, every Flathead on the mountain.</p>
+
+<p>Taking them one at a time, she had the can of brains that belonged to
+each one opened and the contents spread on the flat head, after which,
+by means of her arts of sorcery, she caused the head to grow over the
+brains&mdash;in the manner most people wear them&mdash;and they were thus
+rendered as intelligent and good looking as any of the other
+inhabitants of the Land of Oz.</p>
+
+<p>When all had been treated in this manner there were no more Flatheads
+at all, and the Adepts decided to name their people Mountaineers. One
+good result of Glinda's sorcery was that no one could now be deprived
+of the brains that belonged to him and each person had exactly the
+share he was entitled to.</p>
+
+<p>Even the Su-dic was given his portion of brains and his flat head made
+round, like the others, but he was deprived of all power to work
+further mischief, and with the Adepts constantly watching him he would
+be forced to become obedient and humble.</p>
+
+<p>The Golden Pig, which ran grunting about the streets, with no brains
+at all, was disenchanted by Glinda, and in her woman's form was given
+brains and a round head. This wife of the Su-dic had once been even
+more wicked than her evil husband, but she had now forgotten all her
+wickedness and was likely to be a good woman thereafter.</p>
+
+<p>These things being accomplished in a satisfactory manner, Princess
+Ozma and her people bade farewell to the three Adepts and departed for
+the Emerald City, well pleased with their interesting adventures.</p>
+
+<p>They returned by the road over which Ozma and Dorothy had come,
+stopping to get the Sawhorse and the Red Wagon where they had left
+them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'm very glad I went to see these peoples,&quot; said Princess Ozma, &quot;for
+I not only prevented any further warfare between them, but they have
+been freed from the rule of the Su-dic and Coo-ee-oh and are now happy
+and loyal subjects of the Land of Oz. Which proves that it is always
+wise to do one's duty, however unpleasant that duty may seem to be.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<h3>The Wonderful Oz Books by L. Frank Baum:</h3>
+
+<p>&nbsp;<br />
+<b>
+The Wizard of Oz<br />
+The Land of Oz<br />
+Ozma of Oz<br />
+Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz<br />
+The Road to Oz<br />
+The Emerald city of Oz<br />
+The Patchwork Girl of Oz<br />
+Tik-Tok of Oz<br />
+The Scarecrow of Oz<br />
+Rinkitink in Oz<br />
+The Lost Princess of Oz<br />
+The Tin Woodman of Oz<br />
+The Magic of Oz<br />
+Glinda of Oz<br /></b>
+</p>
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Etext of Glinda of Oz, by L. Frank Baum
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+</body>
+</html>
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