L. Frank Baum_Oz 14 (16 page)

"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.

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."