CHAPTER 8
Queen Coo-ee-oh
Princess Ozma considered the situation gravely. Then she tied herhandkerchief to her wand and, standing at the water's edge, waved thehandkerchief like a flag, as a signal. For a time they could observeno response.
"I don't see what good that will do," said Dorothy. "Even if theSkeezers are on that island and see us, and know we're friends, theyhaven't any boats to come and get us."
But the Skeezers didn't need boats, as the girls soon discovered. Foron a sudden an opening appeared at the base of the palace and from theopening came a slender shaft of steel, reaching out slowly butsteadily across the water in the direction of the place where theystood. To the girls this steel arrangement looked like a triangle,with the base nearest the water. It came toward them in the form of anarch, stretching out from the palace wall until its end reached thebank and rested there, while the other end still remained on theisland.
Then they saw that it was a bridge, consisting of a steel footway justbroad enough to walk on, and two slender guide rails, one on eitherside, which were connected with the footway by steel bars. The bridgelooked 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 hercourage and followed after. Before Ozma had taken three steps shehalted and so forced Dorothy to halt, for the bridge was again movingand returning to the island.
"We need not walk after all," said Ozma. So they stood still in theirplaces and let the steel bridge draw them onward. Indeed, the bridgedrew them well into the glass-domed building which covered the island,and soon they found themselves standing in a marble room where twohandsomely dressed young men stood on a platform to receive them.
Ozma at once stepped from the end of the bridge to the marbleplatform, followed by Dorothy, and then the bridge disappeared with aslight clang of steel and a marble slab covered the opening from whichit 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 waitingto 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 thatcovered almost all of the island.
Within this dome was a little village, with houses, streets, gardensand parks. The houses were of colored marbles, prettily designed, withmany stained-glass windows, and the streets and gardens seemed wellcared for. Exactly under the center of the lofty dome was a small parkfilled with brilliant flowers, with an elaborate fountain, and facingthis 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 weremen, women and children, all richly dressed. These were much likeother people in different parts of the Land of Oz, except that insteadof seeming merry and contented they all wore expressions of muchsolemnity or of nervous irritation. They had beautiful homes, splendidclothes, and ample food, but Dorothy at once decided something waswrong 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 otheryoung men, in uniform and armed with queer weapons that seemed abouthalfway between pistols and guns, but were like neither. Theirconductors bowed and left them, and the two in uniforms led the girlsinto the palace.
In a beautiful throne room, surrounded by a dozen or more young menand women, sat the Queen of the Skeezers, Coo-ee-oh. She was a girlwho looked older than Ozma or Dorothy--fifteen or sixteen, atleast--and although she was elaborately dressed as if she were goingto a ball she was too thin and plain of feature to be pretty. Butevidently Queen Coo-ee-oh did not realize this fact, for her air andmanner betrayed her as proud and haughty and with a high regard forher own importance. Dorothy at once decided she was "snippy" and thatshe 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 wereblack, too. The eyes, as she calmly examined Ozma and Dorothy, had asuspicious and unfriendly look in them, but she said quietly:
"I know who you are, for I have consulted my Magic Oracle, which toldme that one calls herself Princess Ozma, the Ruler of all the Land ofOz, and the other is Princess Dorothy of Oz, who came from a countrycalled Kansas. I know nothing of the Land of Oz, and I know nothing ofKansas."
"Why, _this_ is the Land of Oz!" cried Dorothy. "It's a _part_ of theLand of Oz, anyhow, whether you know it or not."
"Oh, in-deed!" answered Queen Coo-ee-oh, scornfully. "I suppose youwill claim next that this Princess Ozma, ruling the Land of Oz, rulesme!"
"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 thishaughty and disdainful creature, whose self-pride evidently led herto believe herself superior to all others.
"I did not come here to quarrel with your Majesty," said the girlRuler of Oz, quietly. "What and who I am is well established, and myauthority comes from the Fairy Queen Lurline, of whose band I was amember when Lurline made all Oz a Fairyland. There are severalcountries and several different peoples in this broad land, each ofwhich has its separate rulers, Kings, Emperors and Queens. But allthese render obedience to my laws and acknowledge me as the supremeRuler."
"If other Kings and Queens are fools that does not interest me in theleast," replied Coo-ee-oh, disdainfully. "In the Land of the SkeezersI alone am supreme. You are impudent to think I would defer to you--orto anyone else."
"Let us not speak of this now, please," answered Ozma. "Your island isin 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 neverreturn to their barren mountain-top. I will see to that."
Ozma did not like this attitude, for it meant that the Skeezers wereeager to fight the Flatheads, and Ozma's object in coming here was toprevent fighting and induce the two quarrelsome neighbors to makepeace. She was also greatly disappointed in Coo-ee-oh, for the reportsof Su-dic had led her to imagine the Queen more just and honorablethan were the Flatheads. Indeed Ozma reflected that the girl might bebetter 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 towin 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 theEmerald City, where thousands more acknowledge my rule, there is noarmy at all, because there is no quarreling and no need to fight. Ifdifferences arise between my people, they come to me and I judge thecases and award justice to all. So, when I learned there might be warbetween two faraway people of Oz, I came here to settle the disputeand 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 apart of the Land of Oz, which you rule, but that is all nonsense, forI've never heard of the Land of Oz, nor of you. You say you are afairy, 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 tostir up trouble among my people, who are already becoming difficult tomanage. You two girls may even be spies of the vile Flatheads, for allI know, and may be trying to trick me. But understand this," sheadded, proudly rising from her jeweled throne to confront them, "Ihave magic powers greater than any fairy possesses, and greater thanany Flathead possesses. I am a Krumbic Witch--the only Krumbic Witchin the world--and I fear the magic of n
o other creature that exists!You say you rule thousands. I rule one hundred and one Skeezers. Butevery one of them trembles at my word. Now that Ozma of Oz andPrincess Dorothy are here, I shall rule one hundred and threesubjects, for you also shall bow before my power. More than that, inruling 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 highand mighty after all. If you only knew who Ozma is you'd be scared todeath to talk to her like that!"
Queen Coo-ee-oh gave the girl a supercilious look. Then she turnedagain to Ozma.
"I happen to know," said she, "that the Flatheads intend to attack ustomorrow, but we are ready for them. Until the battle is over, I shallkeep you two strangers prisoners on my island, from which there is nochance for you to escape."
She turned and looked around the band of courtiers who stood silentlyaround 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 foodand lodging. You may allow them to wander anywhere under the GreatDome, for they are harmless. After I have attended to the Flatheads Iwill consider what next to do with these foolish girls."
She resumed her seat and the Lady Aurex bowed low and said in a humblemanner:
"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 alittle to her disappointment Ozma turned and followed Lady Aurex. SoDorothy trailed after them, but not without giving a parting, haughtylook toward Queen Coo-ee-oh, who had her face turned the other way anddid not see the disapproving look.
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