But the fishes were the most interesting of all. Some were big and lazy, floating slowly along or lying at rest with just their fins waving. Many with big round eyes looked full at the girl as she watched them and Dorothy wondered if they could hear her through the glass if she spoke to them. In Oz, where all the animals and birds can talk, many fishes are able to talk also, but usually they are more stupid than birds and animals because they think slowly and haven’t much to talk about.
In the Lake of the Skeezers the fish of smaller size were more active than the big ones and darted quickly in and out among the swaying weeds, as if they had important business and were in a hurry. It was among the smaller varieties that Dorothy hoped to spy the gold and silver and bronze fishes. She had an idea the three would keep together, being companions now as they were in their natural forms, but such a multitude of fishes constantly passed, the scene shifting every moment, that she was not sure she would notice them even if they appeared in view. Her eyes couldn’t look in all directions and the fishes she sought might be on the other side of the dome, or far away in the lake.
“P’raps, because they were afraid of Coo-ee-oh, they’ve hid themselves somewhere, and don’t know their enemy has been transformed,” she reflected.
She watched the fishes for a long time, until she became hungry and went back to the palace for lunch. But she was not discouraged.
“Anything new, Ozma?” she asked.
“No, dear. Did you discover the three fishes?”
“Not yet. But there isn’t anything better for me to do, Ozma, so I guess I’ll go back and watch again.”
Chapter Thirteen.The Alarm Bell
Glinda, the Good, in her palace in the Quadling Country, had many things to occupy her mind, for not only did she look after the weaving and embroidery of her bevy of maids, and assist all those who came to her to implore her help—beasts and birds as well as people—but she was a close student of the arts of sorcery and spent much time in her Magical Laboratory, where she strove to find a remedy for every evil and to perfect her skill in magic.
Nevertheless, she did not forget to look in the Great Book of Records each day to see if any mention was made of the visit of Ozma and Dorothy to the Enchanted Mountain of the Flatheads and the Magic Isle of the Skeezers. The Records told her that Ozma had arrived at the mountain, that she had escaped, with her companion, and gone to the island of the Skeezers, and that Queen Coo-ee-oh had submerged the island so that it was entirely under water. Then came the statement that the Flatheads had come to the lake to poison the fishes and that their Supreme Dictator had transformed Queen Coo-ee-oh into a swan.
No other details were given in the Great Book and so Glinda did not know that since Coo-ee-oh had forgotten her magic none of the Skeezers knew how to raise the island to the surface again. So Glinda was not worried about Ozma and Dorothy until one morning, while she sat with her maids, there came a sudden clang of the great alarm bell. This was so unusual that every maid gave a start and even the Sorceress for a moment could not think what the alarm meant.
Then she remembered the ring she had given Dorothy when she left the palace to start on her venture. In giving the ring Glinda had warned the little girl not to use its magic powers unless she and Ozma were in real danger, but then she was to turn it on her finger once to the right and once to the left and Glinda’s alarm bell would ring.
So the Sorceress now knew that danger threatened her beloved Ruler and Princess Dorothy, and she hurried to her magic room to seek information as to what sort of danger it was. The answer to her question was not very satisfactory, for it was only: “Ozma and Dorothy are prisoners in the great Dome of the Isle of the Skeezers, and the Dome is under the water of the lake.”
“Hasn’t Ozma the power to raise the island to the surface?” inquired Glinda.
“No,” was the reply, and the Record refused to say more except that Queen Coo-ee-oh, who alone could command the island to rise, had been transformed by the Flathead Su-dic into a Diamond Swan.
Then Glinda consulted the past records of the Skeezers in the Great Book. After diligent search she discovered that Coo-ee-oh was a powerful sorceress who had gained most of her power by treacherously transforming the Adepts of Magic, who were visiting her, into three fishes—gold, silver and bronze—after which she had them cast into the lake.
Glinda reflected earnestly on this information and decided that someone must go to Ozma’s assistance. While there was no great need of haste, because Ozma and Dorothy could live in a submerged dome a long time, it was evident they could not get out until someone was able to raise the island.
The Sorceress looked through all her recipes and books of sorcery, but could find no magic that would raise a sunken island. Such a thing had never before been required in sorcery. Then Glinda made a little island, covered by a glass dome, and sunk it in a pond near her castle, and experimented in magical ways to bring it to the surface. She made several such experiments, but all were failures. It seemed a simple thing to do, yet she could not do it.
Nevertheless, the wise Sorceress did not despair of finding a way to liberate her friends. Finally she concluded that the best thing to do was to go to the Skeezer country and examine the lake. While there she was more likely to discover a solution to the problem that bothered her, and to work out a plan for the rescue of Ozma and Dorothy.
So Glinda summoned her storks and her aerial chariot, and telling her maids she was going on a journey and might not soon return, she entered the chariot and was carried swiftly to the Emerald City.
In Princess Ozma’s palace the Scarecrow was now acting as Ruler of the Land of Oz. There wasn’t much for him to do, because all the affairs of state moved so smoothly, but he was there in case anything unforeseen should happen.
Glinda found the Scarecrow playing croquet with Trot and Betsy Bobbin, two little girls who lived at the palace under Ozma’s protection and were great friends of Dorothy and much loved by all the Oz people.
“Something’s happened!” cried Trot, as the chariot of the Sorceress descended near them. “Glinda never comes here ‘cept something’s gone wrong.”
“I hope no harm has come to Ozma, or Dorothy,” said Betsy anxiously, as the lovely Sorceress stepped down from her chariot.
Glinda approached the Scarecrow and told him of the dilemma of Ozma and Dorothy and she added: “We must save them, somehow, Scarecrow.”
“Of course,” replied the Scarecrow, stumbling over a wicket and falling flat on his painted face.
The girls picked him up and patted his straw stuffing into shape, and he continued, as if nothing had occurred: “But you’ll have to tell me what to do, for I never have raised a sunken island in all my life.”
“We must have a Council of State as soon as possible,” proposed the Sorceress. “Please send messengers to summon all of Ozma’s counsellors to this palace. Then we can decide what is best to be done.”
The Scarecrow lost no time in doing this. Fortunately most of the royal counsellors were in the Emerald City or near to it, so they all met in the throne room of the palace that same evening.
Chapter Fourteen.Ozma’s Counsellors
No Ruler ever had such a queer assortment of advisers as the Princess Ozma had gathered about her throne. Indeed, in no other country could such amazing people exist. But Ozma loved them for their peculiarities and could trust every one of them.
First there was the Tin Woodman. Every bit of him was tin, brightly polished. All his joints were kept well oiled and moved smoothly. He carried a gleaming axe to prove he was a woodman, but seldom had cause to use it because he lived in a magnificent tin castle in the Winkie Country of Oz and was the Emperor of all the Winkies. The Tin Woodman’s name was Nick Chopper. He had a very good mind, but his heart was not of much account, so he was very careful to do nothing unkind or to hurt anyone’s feelings.
Another
counsellor was Scraps, the Patchwork Girl of Oz, who was made of a gaudy patchwork quilt, cut into shape and stuffed with cotton. This Patchwork Girl was very intelligent, but so full of fun and mad pranks that a lot of more stupid folks thought she must be crazy. Scraps was jolly under all conditions, however grave they might be, but her laughter and good spirits were of value in cheering others and in her seemingly careless remarks much wisdom could often be found.
Then there was the Shaggy Man—shaggy from head to foot, hair and whiskers, clothes and shoes—but very kind and gentle and one of Ozma’s most loyal supporters.
Tik-Tok was there, a copper man with machinery inside him, so cleverly constructed that he moved, spoke and thought by three separate clock-works. Tik-Tok was very reliable because he always did exactly what he was wound up to do, but his machinery was liable to run down at times and then he was quite helpless until wound up again.
A different sort of person was Jack Pumpkinhead, one of Ozma’s oldest friends and her companion on many adventures. Jack’s body was very crude and awkward, being formed of limbs of trees of different sizes, jointed with wooden pegs. But it was a substantial body and not likely to break or wear out, and when it was dressed the clothes covered much of its roughness. The head of Jack Pumpkinhead was, as you have guessed, a ripe pumpkin, with the eyes, nose and mouth carved upon one side. The pumpkin was stuck on Jack’s wooden neck and was liable to get turned sidewise or backward and then he would have to straighten it with his wooden hands.
The worst thing about this sort of a head was that it did not keep well and was sure to spoil sooner or later. So Jack’s main business was to grow a field of fine pumpkins each year, and always before his old head spoiled he would select a fresh pumpkin from the field and carve the features on it very neatly, and have it ready to replace the old head whenever it became necessary. He didn’t always carve it the same way, so his friends never knew exactly what sort of an expression they would find on his face. But there was no mistaking him, because he was the only pumpkin-headed man alive in the Land of Oz.
A one-legged sailor-man was a member of Ozma’s council. His name was Cap’n Bill and he had come to the Land of Oz with Trot, and had been made welcome on account of his cleverness, honesty and good nature. He wore a wooden leg to replace the one he had lost and was a great friend of all the children in Oz because he could whittle all sorts of toys out of wood with his big jack-knife.
Professor H. M. Wogglebug, T. E., was another member of the council. The “H. M.” meant Highly Magnified, for the Professor was once a little bug, who became magnified to the size of a man and always remained so. The “T. E.” meant that he was Thoroughly Educated. He was at the head of Princess Ozma’s Royal Athletic College, and so that the students would not have to study and so lose much time that could be devoted to athletic sports, such as football, baseball and the like, Professor Wogglebug had invented the famous Educational Pills. If one of the college students took a Geography Pill after breakfast, he knew his geography lesson in an instant; if he took a Spelling Pill he at once knew his spelling lesson, and an Arithmetic Pill enabled the student to do any kind of sum without having to think about it.
These useful pills made the college very popular and taught the boys and girls of Oz their lessons in the easiest possible way. In spite of this, Professor Wogglebug was not a favorite outside his college, for he was very conceited and admired himself so much and displayed his cleverness and learning so constantly, that no one cared to associate with him. Ozma found him of value in her councils, nevertheless.
Perhaps the most splendidly dressed of all those present was a great frog as large as a man, called the Frogman, who was noted for his wise sayings. He had come to the Emerald City from the Yip Country of Oz and was a guest of honor. His long-tailed coat was of velvet, his vest of satin and his trousers of finest silk. There were diamond buckles on his shoes and he carried a gold-headed cane and a high silk hat. All of the bright colors were represented in his rich attire, so it tired one’s eyes to look at him for long, until one became used to his splendor.
The best farmer in all Oz was Uncle Henry, who was Dorothy’s own uncle, and who now lived near the Emerald City with his wife Aunt Em. Uncle Henry taught the Oz people how to grow the finest vegetables and fruits and grains and was of much use to Ozma in keeping the Royal Storehouses well filled. He, too, was a counsellor.
The reason I mention the little Wizard of Oz last is because he was the most important man in the Land of Oz. He wasn’t a big man in size but he was a man in power and intelligence and second only to Glinda the Good in all the mystic arts of magic. Glinda had taught him, and the Wizard and the Sorceress were the only ones in Oz permitted by law to practice wizardry and sorcery, which they applied only to good uses and for the benefit of the people.
The Wizard wasn’t exactly handsome but he was pleasant to look at. His bald head was as shiny as if it had been varnished; there was always a merry twinkle in his eyes and he was as spry as a schoolboy. Dorothy says the reason the Wizard is not as powerful as Glinda is because Glinda didn’t teach him all she knows, but what the Wizard knows he knows very well and so he performs some very remarkable magic. The ten I have mentioned assembled, with the Scarecrow and Glinda, in Ozma’s throne room, right after dinner that evening, and the Sorceress told them all she knew of the plight of Ozma and Dorothy.
“Of course we must rescue them,” she continued, “and the sooner they are rescued the better pleased they will be; but what we must now determine is how they can be saved. That is why I have called you together in council.”
“The easiest way,” remarked the Shaggy Man, “is to raise the sunken island of the Skeezers to the top of the water again.”
“Tell me how?” said Glinda.
“I don’t know how, your Highness, for I have never raised a sunken island.”
“We might all get under it and lift,” suggested Professor Wogglebug.
“How can we get under it when it rests on the bottom of the lake?” asked the Sorceress.
“Couldn’t we throw a rope around it and pull it ashore?” inquired Jack Pumpkinhead.
“Why not pump the water out of the lake?” suggested the Patchwork Girl with a laugh.
“Do be sensible!” pleaded Glinda. “This is a serious matter, and we must give it serious thought.”
“How big is the lake and how big is the island?” was the Frogman’s question.
“None of us can tell, for we have not been there.”
“In that case,” said the Scarecrow, “it appears to me we ought to go to the Skeezer country and examine it carefully.”
“Quite right,” agreed the Tin Woodman.
“We-will-have-to-go-there-any-how,” remarked Tik-Tok in his jerky machine voice.
“The question is which of us shall go, and how many of us?” said the Wizard.
“I shall go of course,” declared the Scarecrow.
“And I,” said Scraps.
“It is my duty to Ozma to go,” asserted the Tin Woodman.
“I could not stay away, knowing our loved Princess is in danger,” said the Wizard.
“We all feel like that,” Uncle Henry said.
Finally one and all present decided to go to the Skeezer country, with Glinda and the little Wizard to lead them. Magic must meet magic in order to conquer it, so these two skillful magic-workers were necessary to insure the success of the expedition.
They were all ready to start at a moment’s notice, for none had any affairs of importance to attend to. Jack was wearing a newly made Pumpkin-head and the Scarecrow had recently been stuffed with fresh straw. Tik-Tok’s machinery was in good running order and the Tin Woodman always was well oiled.
“It is quite a long journey,” said Glinda, “and while I might travel quickly to the Skeezer country by means of my stork chariot the rest of you will be obliged to walk. So, as we
must keep together, I will send my chariot back to my castle and we will plan to leave the Emerald City at sunrise to-morrow.”
Chapter Fifteen.The Great Sorceress
Betsy and Trot, when they heard of the rescue expedition, begged the Wizard to permit them to join it and he consented. The Glass Cat, overhearing the conversation, wanted to go also and to this the Wizard made no objection.
This Glass Cat was one of the real curiosities of Oz. It had been made and brought to life by a clever magician named Dr. Pipt, who was not now permitted to work magic and was an ordinary citizen of the Emerald City. The cat was of transparent glass, through which one could plainly see its ruby heart beating and its pink brains whirling around in the top of the head.
The Glass Cat’s eyes were emeralds; its fluffy tail was of spun glass and very beautiful. The ruby heart, while pretty to look at, was hard and cold and the Glass Cat’s disposition was not pleasant at all times. It scorned to catch mice, did not eat, and was extremely lazy. If you complimented the remarkable cat on her beauty, she would be very friendly, for she loved admiration above everything. The pink brains were always working and their owner was indeed more intelligent than most common cats.
Three other additions to the rescue party were made the next morning, just as they were setting out upon their journey. The first was a little boy called Button Bright, because he had no other name that anyone could remember. He was a fine, manly little fellow, well mannered and good humored, who had only one bad fault. He was continually getting lost. To be sure, Button Bright got found as often as he got lost, but when he was missing his friends could not help being anxious about him.
“Some day,” predicted the Patchwork Girl, “he won’t be found, and that will be the last of him.” But that didn’t worry Button Bright, who was so careless that he did not seem to be able to break the habit of getting lost.
The Classic Children's Literature Collection: 39 Classic Novels Page 306