Glinda of Oz

by L. Frank Baum

  CHAPTER 23

  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 weretransformed to fishes, but they had to admit that Coo-ee-oh had arare genius for mechanics, and had used her knowledge in inventing alot of mechanical apparatus that ordinary witches, wizards andsorcerers could not understand.

  They all carefully inspected this room, taking care to examine everyarticle they came across.

  "The island," said Glinda thoughtfully, "rests on a base of solidmarble. When it is submerged, as it is now, the base of the island isupon the bottom of the lake. What puzzles me is how such a greatweight can be lifted and suspended in the water, even by magic."

  "I now remember," returned Aujah, "that one of the arts we taughtCoo-ee-oh was the way to expand steel, and I think that explains howthe island is raised and lowered. I noticed in the basement a bigsteel pillar that passed through the floor and extended upward to thispalace. Perhaps the end of it is concealed in this very room. If thelower end of the steel pillar is firmly embedded in the bottom of thelake, Coo-ee-oh could utter a magic word that would make the pillarexpand, 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," announcedthe Wizard, pointing to one side of the room where a great basin ofpolished 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 thatsupports the island. I noticed it when I first came here. It has beenhollowed out, you see, and something has been burned in the basin, forthe fire has left its marks. I wondered what was under the great basinand got several of the Skeezers to come up here and try to lift it forme. They were strong men, but could not move it at all."

  "It seems to me," said Audah the Adept, "that we have discovered themanner in which Coo-ee-oh raised the island. She would burn some sortof magic powder in the basin, utter the magic word, and the pillarwould lengthen out and lift the island with it."

  "What's this?" asked Dorothy, who had been searching around with theothers, and now noticed a slight hollow in the wall, near to where thesteel basin stood. As she spoke Dorothy pushed her thumb into thehollow and instantly a small drawer popped out from the wall.

  The three Adepts, Glinda and the Wizard sprang forward and peered intothe drawer. It was half filled with a grayish powder, the tiny grainsof 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 Irecognize 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 magicpowder 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 Glindaas 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. Itwas so still that after a while Dorothy grew nervous. The little girlnever could keep silent for long, and at the risk of displeasing hermagic-working friends she suddenly said:

  "Well, Coo-ee-oh used just three magic words, one to make the bridgework, and one to make the submarines go out of their holes, and one toraise and lower the island. Three words. And Coo-ee-oh's name is madeup 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 andOzma 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 quitenatural 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 onesaid:

  "We must be careful not to use the wrong word, and send the bridgeout under water. The main thing, if Dorothy's idea is correct, is tohit 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, whichthey thought was used for measuring. Glinda filled this cup with thepowder and carefully poured it into the shallow basin, which was thetop of the great steel pillar supporting the island. Then Aurah theAdept lighted a taper and touched it to the powder, which instantlyglowed fiery red and tumbled about the basin with astonishing energy.While the grains of powder still glowed red the Sorceress bent over itand said in a voice of command: "Coo!"

  They waited motionless to see what would happen. There was a gratingnoise and a whirl of machinery, but the island did not move aparticle.

  Dorothy rushed to the window, which overlooked the glass side of thedome.

  "The boats!" she exclaimed. "The boats are all loose an' sailing underwater."

  "We've made a mistake," said the Wizard gloomily.

  "But it's one which shows we are on the right track," declared Aujahthe Adept. "We know now that Coo-ee-oh used the syllables of her namefor the magic words."

  "If 'Coo' sends out the boats, it is probable that 'ee' works thebridge," suggested Ozma. "So the last part of the name may raise theisland."

  "Let us try that next then," proposed the Wizard.

  He scraped the embers of the burned powder out of the basin and Glindaagain filled the golden cup from the drawer and placed it on top thesteel pillar. Aurah lighted it with her taper and Ozma bent over thebasin and murmured the long drawn syllable: "Oh-h-h!"

  Instantly the island trembled and with a weird groaning noise it movedupward--slowly, very slowly, but with a steady motion, while all thecompany stood by in awed silence. It was a wonderful thing, even tothose skilled in the arts of magic, wizardry and sorcery, to realizethat a single word could raise that great, heavy island, with itsimmense glass Dome.

  "Why, we're way _above_ the lake now!" exclaimed Dorothy from thewindow, 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 thevillage 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 thebridge to the mainland, where our friends from the Emerald City arewaiting."

  It didn't take long to put more powder in the basin, light it andutter the syllable "EE!" The result was that a door in the basementopened 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 frontof the encampment.

  "Now," said Glinda, "we can go up and receive the congratulations ofthe Skeezers and of our friends of the Rescue Expedition."

  Across the water, on the shore of the lake, the Patchwork Girl waswaving them a welcome.

  CHAPTER 24

  Glinda's Triumph

  Of course all those who had joined Glinda's expedition at once crossedthe bridge to the island, where they were warmly welcomed by theSkeezers. Before all the concourse of people Princess Ozma made aspeech from a porch of the palace and demanded that they recognize heras 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 declaredthey would no longer be subjected to cruelty and abuse.

  This pleased the Skeezers greatly, and when Ozma told them they mightelect a Queen to rule over them, who in turn would be subject to Ozmaof Oz, they voted for Lady Aurex, and that same day the ceremony ofcrowning the new Queen was held and Aurex was installed as mistress ofthe palace.

  For her Prime Minister the Queen selected Ervic,
for the three Adeptshad told of his good judgment, faithfulness and cleverness, and allthe Skeezers approved the appointment.

  Glinda, the Wizard and the Adepts stood on the bridge and recited anincantation that quite filled the lake with water again, and theScarecrow and the Patchwork Girl climbed to the top of the Great Domeand replaced the pane of glass that had been removed to allow Glindaand her followers to enter.

  When evening came Ozma ordered a great feast prepared, to which everySkeezer was invited. The village was beautifully decorated andbrilliantly lighted and there was music and dancing until a late hourto celebrate the liberation of the people. For the Skeezers had beenfreed, not only from the water of the lake but from the cruelty oftheir former Queen.

  As the people from the Emerald City prepared the next morning todepart Queen Aurex said to Ozma:

  "There is only one thing I now fear for my people, and that is theenmity of the terrible Su-dic of the Flatheads. He is liable to comehere at any time and try to annoy us, and my Skeezers are peacefulfolks and unable to fight the wild and wilful Flatheads."

  "Do not worry," returned Ozma, reassuringly. "We intend to stop on ourway at the Flatheads' Enchanted Mountain and punish the Su-dic for hismisdeeds."

  That satisfied Aurex and when Ozma and her followers trooped over thebridge to the shore, having taken leave of their friends, all theSkeezers cheered them and waved their hats and handkerchiefs, and theband played and the departure was indeed a ceremony long to beremembered.

  The three Adepts at Magic, who had formerly ruled the Flatheads wiselyand considerately, went with Princess Ozma and her people, for theyhad promised Ozma to stay on the mountain and again see that the lawswere enforced.

  Glinda had been told all about the curious Flatheads and she hadconsulted with the Wizard and formed a plan to render them moreintelligent and agreeable.

  When the party reached the mountain Ozma and Dorothy showed them howto pass around the invisible wall--which had been built by theFlatheads after the Adepts were transformed--and how to gain theup-and-down stairway that led to the mountain top.

  The Su-dic had watched the approach of the party from the edge of themountain and was frightened when he saw that the three Adepts hadrecovered their natural forms and were coming back to their formerhome. He realized that his power would soon be gone and yet hedetermined to fight to the last. He called all the Flatheads togetherand armed them, and told them to arrest all who came up the stairwayand hurl them over the edge of the mountain to the plain below. Butalthough they feared the Supreme Dictator, who had threatened topunish them if they did not obey his commands, as soon as they saw thethree Adepts they threw down their arms and begged their former rulersto protect them.

  The three Adepts assured the excited Flatheads that they had nothingto fear.

  Seeing that his people had rebelled the Su-dic ran away and tried tohide, but the Adepts found him and had him cast into a prison, all hiscans of brains being taken away from him.

  After this easy conquest of the Su-dic, Glinda told the Adepts of herplan, which had already been approved by Ozma of Oz, and they joyfullyagreed to it. So, during the next few days, the great Sorceresstransformed, in a way, every Flathead on the mountain.

  Taking them one at a time, she had the can of brains that belonged toeach 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 thebrains--in the manner most people wear them--and they were thusrendered as intelligent and good looking as any of the otherinhabitants of the Land of Oz.

  When all had been treated in this manner there were no more Flatheadsat all, and the Adepts decided to name their people Mountaineers. Onegood result of Glinda's sorcery was that no one could now be deprivedof the brains that belonged to him and each person had exactly theshare he was entitled to.

  Even the Su-dic was given his portion of brains and his flat headmade round, like the others, but he was deprived of all power to workfurther mischief, and with the Adepts constantly watching him he wouldbe forced to become obedient and humble.

  The Golden Pig, which ran grunting about the streets, with no brainsat all, was disenchanted by Glinda, and in her woman's form was givenbrains and a round head. This wife of the Su-dic had once been evenmore wicked than her evil husband, but she had now forgotten all herwickedness and was likely to be a good woman thereafter.

  These things being accomplished in a satisfactory manner, PrincessOzma and her people bade farewell to the three Adepts and departed forthe 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 leftthem.

  "I'm very glad I went to see these peoples," said Princess Ozma, "forI not only prevented any further warfare between them, but they havebeen freed from the rule of the Su-dic and Coo-ee-oh and are now happyand loyal subjects of the Land of Oz. Which proves that it is alwayswise to do one's duty, however unpleasant that duty may seem to be."

  Transcriber's Note

  Archaic and inconsistent spelling, punctuation, and syntax retained.