The Czarover of Herku
CHAPTER 12
Trot wakened just as the sun rose and, slipping out of the blankets,went to the edge of the Great Orchard and looked across the plain.Something glittered in the far distance.
"That looks like another city," she said half aloud.
"And another city it is," declared Scraps, who had crept to Trot's sideunheard, for her stuffed feet made no sound. "The Sawhorse and I made ajourney in the dark, while you were all asleep, and we found over therea bigger city than Thi. There's a wall around it, too, but it has gatesand plenty of pathways."
"Did you go in?" asked Trot.
"No, for the gates were locked and the wall was a real wall. So we cameback here again. It isn't far to the city. We can reach it in two hoursafter you've had your breakfasts."
Trot went back and, finding the other girls now awake, told them whatScraps had said. So they hurriedly ate some fruit--there were plenty ofplums and fijoas in this part of the orchard--and then they mounted theanimals and set out upon the journey to the strange city. Hank the Mulehad breakfasted on grass and the Lion had stolen away and found abreakfast to his liking; he never told what it was, but Dorothy hopedthe little rabbits and the field mice had kept out of his way. Shewarned Toto not to chase birds and gave the dog some apple, with whichhe was quite content. The Woozy was as fond of fruit as of any otherfood, except honey, and the Sawhorse never ate at all.
Except for their worry over Ozma they were all in good spirits as theyproceeded swiftly over the plain. Toto still worried over his lostgrowl, but like a wise little dog kept his worry to himself. Before longthe city grew nearer and they could examine it with interest.
In outward appearance the place was more imposing than Thi, and it was asquare city, with a square, four-sided wall around it and on each sidewas a square gate of burnished copper. Everything about the city lookedsolid and substantial; there were no banners flying and the towers thatrose above the city wall seemed bare of any ornament whatever.
A path led from the fruit orchard directly to one of the city gates,showing that the inhabitants preferred fruit to thistles. Our friendsfollowed this path to the gate, which they found fast shut. But theWizard advanced and pounded upon it with his fist, saying in a loudvoice: "Open!"
At once there rose above the great wall a row of immense heads, all ofwhich looked down at them as if to see who was intruding. The size ofthese heads was astonishing and our friends at once realized that theybelonged to giants, who were standing within the city. All had thick,bushy hair and whiskers, on some the hair being white and on othersblack or red or yellow, while the hair of a few was just turning gray,showing that the giants were of all ages. However fierce the heads mightseem the eyes were mild in expression, as if the creatures had been longsubdued, and their faces expressed patience rather than ferocity.
"What's wanted?" asked one old giant, in a low, grumbling voice.
"We are strangers and we wish to enter the city," replied the Wizard.
"Do you come in war or peace?" asked another.
"In peace, of course," retorted the Wizard, and he added impatiently:"Do we look like an army of conquest?"
"No," said the first giant who had spoken, "you look like innocenttramps; but one never can tell by appearances. Wait here until we reportto our masters. No one can enter here without the permission of Vig, theCzarover."
"Who's that?" inquired Dorothy. But the heads had all bobbed down anddisappeared behind the wall, so there was no answer.
They waited a long time before the gate rolled back with a rumblingsound and a loud voice cried: "Enter!" But they lost no time in takingadvantage of the invitation.
On either side of the broad street that led into the city from the gatestood a row of huge giants--twenty of them on a side and all standing soclose together that their elbows touched. They wore uniforms of blue andyellow and were armed with clubs as big around as tree-trunks. Eachgiant had around his neck a broad band of gold, riveted on, to show hewas a slave.
As our friends entered, riding upon the Lion, the Woozy, the Sawhorseand the Mule, the giants half turned and walked in two files on eitherside of them, as if escorting them on their way. It looked to Dorothy asif all her party had been made prisoners, for even mounted on theiranimals their heads scarcely reached to the knees of the marchinggiants. The girls and Button-Bright were anxious to know what sort of acity they had entered, and what the people were like who had made thesepowerful creatures their slaves. Through the legs of the giants, as theywalked, Dorothy could see rows of houses on each side the street andthrongs of people standing on the sidewalks; but the people were ofordinary size and the only remarkable thing about them was the fact thatthey were dreadfully lean and thin. Between their skin and their bonesthere seemed to be little or no flesh, and they were mostlystoop-shouldered and weary looking, even to the little children.
More and more Dorothy wondered how and why the great giants had eversubmitted to become slaves of such skinny, languid masters, but therewas no chance to question anyone until they arrived at a big palacelocated in the heart of the city. Here the giants formed lines to theentrance and stood still while our friends rode into the courtyard ofthe palace. Then the gates closed behind them and before them was askinny little man who bowed low and said in a sad voice:
"If you will be so obliging as to dismount, it will give me pleasure tolead you into the presence of the World's Most Mighty Ruler, Vig theCzarover."
"I don't believe it!" said Dorothy indignantly.
"What don't you believe?" asked the man.
"I don't believe your Czarover can hold a candle to our Ozma."
"He wouldn't hold a candle under any circumstances, or to any livingperson," replied the man very seriously, "for he has slaves to do suchthings and the Mighty Vig is too dignified to do anything that otherscan do for him. He even obliges a slave to sneeze for him, if ever hecatches cold. However, if you dare to face our powerful ruler, followme."
"We dare anything," said the Wizard, "so go ahead."
Through several marble corridors having lofty ceilings they passed,finding each corridor and doorway guarded by servants; but theseservants of the palace were of the people and not giants, and they wereso thin that they almost resembled skeletons. Finally they entered agreat circular room with a high domed ceiling where the Czarover sat ona throne cut from a solid block of white marble and decorated withpurple silk hangings and gold tassels.
The ruler of these people was combing his eyebrows when our friendsentered his throne-room and stood before him, but he put the comb in hispocket and examined the strangers with evident curiosity. Then he said:
"Dear me, what a surprise! You have really shocked me. For no outsiderhas ever before come to our City of Herku, and I cannot imagine why_you_ have ventured to do so."
"We are looking for Ozma, the Supreme Ruler of the Land of Oz," repliedthe Wizard.
"Do you see her anywhere around here?" asked the Czarover.
"Not yet, Your Majesty; but perhaps you may tell us where she is."
"No; I have my hands full keeping track of my own people. I find themhard to manage because they are so tremendously strong."
"They don't look very strong," said Dorothy. "It seems as if a good windwould blow 'em way out of the city, if it wasn't for the wall."
"Just so--just so," admitted the Czarover. "They really look that way,don't they? But you must never trust to appearances, which have a way offooling one. Perhaps you noticed that I prevented you from meeting anyof my people. I protected you with my giants while you were on the wayfrom the gates to my palace, so that not a Herku got near you."
"Are your people so dangerous, then?" asked the Wizard.
"To strangers, yes; but only because they are so friendly. For, if theyshake hands with you, they are likely to break your arms or crush yourfingers to a jelly."
"Why?" asked Button-Bright.
"Because we are the strongest people in all the world."
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br /> "Pshaw!" exclaimed the boy, "that's bragging. You prob'ly don't knowhow strong other people are. Why, once I knew a man in Philadelphi' whocould bend iron bars with just his hands!"
"But--mercy me!--it's no trick to bend iron bars," said His Majesty."Tell me, could this man crush a block of stone with his bare hands?"
"No one could do that," declared the boy.
"If I had a block of stone I'd show you," said the Czarover, lookingaround the room. "Ah, here is my throne. The back is too high, anyhow,so I'll just break off a piece of that."
He rose to his feet and tottered in an uncertain way around the throne.Then he took hold of the back and broke off a piece of marble over afoot thick.
"This," said he, coming back to his seat, "is very solid marble and muchharder than ordinary stone. Yet I can crumble it easily with myfingers--a proof that I am very strong."
Even as he spoke he began breaking off chunks of marble and crumblingthem as one would a bit of earth. The Wizard was so astonished that hetook a piece in his own hands and tested it, finding it very hardindeed.
Just then one of the giant servants entered and exclaimed:
"Oh, Your Majesty, the cook has burned the soup! What shall we do?"
"How dare you interrupt me?" asked the Czarover, and grasping theimmense giant by one of his legs he raised him in the air and threw himheadfirst out of an open window.
"Now, tell me," he said, turning to Button-Bright, "could your man inPhiladelphia crumble marble in his fingers?"
"I guess not," said Button-Bright, much impressed by the skinnymonarch's strength.
"What makes you so strong?" inquired Dorothy.
"It's the zosozo," he explained, "which is an invention of my own. I andall my people eat zosozo, and it gives us tremendous strength. Would youlike to eat some?"
"No, thank you," replied the girl. "I--I don't want to get so thin."
"Well, of course one can't have strength and flesh at the same time,"said the Czarover. "Zosozo is pure energy, and it's the only compound ofits sort in existence. I never allow our giants to have it, you know, orthey would soon become our masters, since they are bigger than we; so Ikeep all the stuff locked up in my private laboratory. Once a year Ifeed a teaspoonful of it to each of my people--men, women andchildren--so every one of them is nearly as strong as I am. Wouldn't_you_ like a dose, sir?" he asked, turning to the Wizard.
"Well," said the Wizard, "if you would give me a little zosozo in abottle, I'd like to take it with me on my travels. It might come handy,on occasion."
"To be sure. I'll give you enough for six doses," promised the Czarover."But don't take more than a teaspoonful at a time. Once Ugu theShoemaker took two teaspoonsful, and it made him so strong that when heleaned against the city wall he pushed it over, and we had to build itup again."
"Who is Ugu the Shoemaker?" asked Button-Bright curiously, for he nowremembered that the bird and the rabbit had claimed Ugu the Shoemakerhad enchanted the peach he had eaten.
"Why, Ugu is a great magician, who used to live here. But he's goneaway, now," replied the Czarover.
"Where has he gone?" asked the Wizard quickly.
"I am told he lives in a wickerwork castle in the mountains to the westof here. You see, Ugu became such a powerful magician that he didn'tcare to live in our city any longer, for fear we would discover some ofhis secrets. So he went to the mountains and built him a splendidwicker castle, which is so strong that even I and my people could notbatter it down, and there he lives all by himself."
"This is good news," declared the Wizard, "for I think this is just themagician we are searching for. But why is he called Ugu the Shoemaker?"
"Once he was a very common citizen here and made shoes for a living,"replied the monarch of Herku. "But he was descended from the greatestwizard and sorcerer who has ever lived--in this or in any othercountry--and one day Ugu the Shoemaker discovered all the magical booksand recipes of his famous great-grandfather, which had been hidden awayin the attic of his house. So he began to study the papers and books andto practice magic, and in time he became so skillful that, as I said, hescorned our city and built a solitary castle for himself."
"Do you think," asked Dorothy anxiously, "that Ugu the Shoemaker wouldbe wicked enough to steal our Ozma of Oz?"
"And the Magic Picture?" asked Trot.
"And the Great Book of Records of Glinda the Good?" asked Betsy.
"And my own magic tools?" asked the Wizard.
"Well," replied the Czarover, "I won't say that Ugu is wicked, exactly,but he is very ambitious to become the most powerful magician in theworld, and so I suppose he would not be too proud to steal any magicthings that belonged to anybody else--if he could manage to do so."
"But how about Ozma? Why would he wish to steal _her_?" questionedDorothy.
"Don't ask me, my dear. Ugu doesn't tell me why he does things, I assureyou."
"Then we must go and ask him ourselves," declared the little girl.
"I wouldn't do that, if I were you," advised the Czarover, looking firstat the three girls and then at the boy and the little Wizard and finallyat the stuffed Patchwork Girl. "If Ugu has really stolen your Ozma, hewill probably keep her a prisoner, in spite of all your threats orentreaties. And, with all his magical knowledge, he would be a dangerousperson to attack. Therefore, if you are wise, you will go home again andfind a new Ruler for the Emerald City and the Land of Oz. But perhaps itisn't Ugu the Shoemaker who has stolen your Ozma."
"The only way to settle that question," replied the Wizard, "is to go toUgu's castle and see if Ozma is there. If she is, we will report thematter to the great Sorceress, Glinda the Good, and I'm pretty sure shewill find a way to rescue our darling ruler from the Shoemaker."
"Well, do as you please," said the Czarover. "But, if you are alltransformed into hummingbirds or caterpillars, don't blame me for notwarning you."
They stayed the rest of that day in the City of Herku and were fed atthe royal table of the Czarover and given sleeping rooms in his palace.The strong monarch treated them very nicely and gave the Wizard a littlegolden vial of zosozo, to use if ever he or any of his party wished toacquire great strength.
Even at the last the Czarover tried to persuade them not to go near Uguthe Shoemaker, but they were resolved on the venture and the nextmorning bade the friendly monarch a cordial good-bye and, mounting upontheir animals, left the Herkus and the City of Herku and headed for themountains that lay to the west.
The Lost Princess of Oz Page 13