CHAPTER 20
A Puzzling Problem
Glinda the Good, having decided to try her sorcery upon the abandonedsubmarine, so that it would obey her commands, asked all of her party,including the Skeezers, to withdraw from the shore of the lake to theline 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. Whenthey two were alone beside the stranded boat, Glinda said to theWizard:
"I shall first try my magic recipe No. 1163, which is intended to makeinanimate objects move at my command. Have you a skeropythrope withyou?"
"Yes, I always carry one in my bag," replied the Wizard. He opened hisblack bag of magic tools and took out a brightly polishedskeropythrope, which he handed to the Sorceress. Glinda had alsobrought a small wicker bag, containing various requirements ofsorcery, and from this she took a parcel of powder and a vial ofliquid. She poured the liquid into the skeropythrope and added thepowder. At once the skeropythrope began to sputter and emit sparks ofa violet color, which spread in all directions. The Sorceressinstantly stepped into the middle of the boat and held the instrumentso that the sparks fell all around her and covered every bit of theblackened steel boat. At the same time Glinda crooned a weirdincantation in the language of sorcery, her voice sounding low andmusical.
After a little the violet sparks ceased, and those that had fallenupon the boat had disappeared and left no mark upon its surface. Theceremony was ended and Glinda returned the skeropythrope to theWizard, 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: "Carryus across the lake, to the farther shore."
At once the boat backed off the sandy beach, turned its prow and movedswiftly over the water.
"Very good--very good indeed!" cried the Wizard, when the boat slowedup at the shore opposite from that whence they had departed. "EvenCoo-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 sunkenisland--the door from which you emerged at the command of QueenCoo-ee-oh."
The boat obeyed. As it sank into the water the top sections rose fromthe sides and joined together over the heads of Glinda and the Wizard,who were thus enclosed in a water-proof chamber. There were fourglass windows in this covering, one on each side and one on eitherend, so that the passengers could see exactly where they were going.Moving under water more slowly than on the surface, the submarinegradually approached the island and halted with its bow pressedagainst the huge marble door in the basement under the Dome. This doorwas tightly closed and it was evident to both Glinda and the Wizardthat it would not open to admit the under-water boat unless a magicword was spoken by them or someone from within the basement of theisland. 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 themarble door."
"That is probably some word only known to Coo-ee-oh," replied theSorceress. "I may be able to discover what it is, but that willrequire time. Let us go back again to our companions."
"It seems a shame, after we have made the boat obey us, to be balkedby just a marble door," grumbled the Wizard.
At Glinda's command the boat rose until it was on a level with theglass dome that covered the Skeezer village, when the Sorceress madeit slowly circle all around the Great Dome.
Many faces were pressed against the glass from the inside, eagerlywatching the submarine, and in one place were Dorothy and Ozma, whoquickly recognized Glinda and the Wizard through the glass windows ofthe boat. Glinda saw them, too, and held the boat close to the Domewhile the friends exchanged greetings in pantomime. Their voices,unfortunately, could not be heard through the Dome and the water andthe side of the boat. The Wizard tried to make the girls understand,through signs, that he and Glinda had come to their rescue, and Ozmaand Dorothy understood this from the very fact that the Sorceress andthe Wizard had appeared. The two girl prisoners were smiling and insafety, and knowing this Glinda felt she could take all the timenecessary in order to effect their final rescue.
As nothing more could be done just then, Glinda ordered the boat toreturn to shore, and it obeyed readily. First it ascended to thesurface of the water, then the roof parted and fell into the slots atthe side of the boat, and then the magic craft quickly made the shoreand beached itself on the sands at the very spot from which it haddeparted at Glinda's command.
All the Oz people and the Skeezers at once ran to the boat to ask ifthey had reached the island, and whether they had seen Ozma andDorothy. The Wizard told them of the obstacle they had met in the wayof a marble door, and how Glinda would now undertake to find a magicway to conquer the door.
Realizing that it would require several days to succeed in reachingthe island, raising it and liberating their friends and the Skeezerpeople, Glinda now prepared a camp half way between the lake shore andthe palm trees.
The Wizard's wizardry made a number of tents appear and the sorcery ofthe Sorceress furnished these tents all complete, with beds, chairs,tables, rugs, lamps and even books with which to pass idle hours. Allthe tents had the Royal Banner of Oz flying from the centerpoles andone big tent, not now occupied, had Ozma's own banner moving in thebreeze.
Betsy and Trot had a tent to themselves, and Button Bright and Ojo hadanother. The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman paired together in one tentand so did Jack Pumpkinhead and the Shaggy Man, Cap'n Bill and UncleHenry, Tik-Tok and Professor Wogglebug. Glinda had the most splendidtent of all, except that reserved for Ozma, while the Wizard had alittle one of his own. Whenever it was meal time, tables loaded withfood magically appeared in the tents of those who were in the habit ofeating, and these complete arrangements made the rescue party just ascomfortable as they would have been in their own homes.
Far into the night Glinda sat in her tent studying a roll of mysticscrolls in search of a word that would open the basement door of theisland and admit her to the Great Dome. She also made many magicalexperiments, hoping to discover something that would aid her. Yet themorning found the powerful Sorceress still unsuccessful.
Glinda's art could have opened any ordinary door, you may be sure, butyou must realize that this marble door of the island had beencommanded not to open save in obedience to one magic word, andtherefore all other magic words could have no effect upon it. Themagic word that guarded the door had probably been invented byCoo-ee-oh, who had now forgotten it. The only way, then, to gainentrance to the sunken island was to break the charm that held thedoor fast shut. If this could be done no magic would be required toopen it.
The next day the Sorceress and the Wizard again entered the boat andmade it submerge and go to the marble door, which they tried invarious ways to open, but without success.
"We shall have to abandon this attempt, I think," said Glinda. "Theeasiest way to raise the island would be for us to gain admittance tothe Dome and then descend to the basement and see in what mannerCoo-ee-oh made the entire island sink or rise at her command. Itnaturally occurred to me that the easiest way to gain admittancewould be by having the boat take us into the basement through themarble door from which Coo-ee-oh launched it. But there must be otherways to get inside the Dome and join Ozma and Dorothy, and such wayswe 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 thatOzma herself understands considerable magic, and has doubtless triedto 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 ofus have a great variety of magic to work with, and if we should
allfail it will be because the island is raised and lowered by a magicpower none of us is acquainted with. My idea therefore is to seek--bysuch magic as we possess--to accomplish our object in another way."
They made the circle of the Dome again in their boat, and once moresaw Ozma and Dorothy through their windows and exchanged signals withthe two imprisoned girls.
Ozma realized that her friends were doing all in their power to rescueher and smiled an encouragement to their efforts. Dorothy seemed alittle anxious but was trying to be as brave as her companion.
After the boat had returned to the camp and Glinda was seated in hertent, working out various ways by which Ozma and Dorothy could berescued, the Wizard stood on the shore dreamily eying the outlines ofthe Great Dome which showed beneath the clear water, when he raisedhis eyes and saw a group of strange people approaching from around thelake. Three were young women of stately presence, very beautifullydressed, who moved with remarkable grace. They were followed at alittle 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 graciouslyand the one with the golden hair said:
"I believe you are the famous Wizard of Oz, of whom I have oftenheard. We are seeking Glinda, the Sorceress, and perhaps you can leadus 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 lovelyvisitors but he gave no sign that might embarrass them.
He understood they did not wish to be questioned, and so he made noremarks as he led the way to Glinda's tent.
With a courtly bow the Wizard ushered the three visitors into thegracious presence of Glinda, the Good.
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