by Speedy In Oz
With a grunt of relief, Waddy noted that Barn-boula was at the steering wheel. Pansy sat on his
shoulder, a small telescope in one claw, while with the other she directed him capably in the proper direction. Crowds of Umbrellians hung over the railing that ran round the island and, at the foot of the King’s garden, Gureeda, mounted on the top of the golden fence, waved both hands frantically. Beside her, Terrybubble loomed up like a lighthouse, his eyes rolling with distress and astonishment.
“Will they scoop us up, or what?” Speedy cast a nervous glance at the churning waters below. Their giant parashoot had stopped and hung poised between the two islands about fifty feet above the sea.
“That’s the usual procedure,” said Waddy, watching critically as Bamboula slanted the island carefully toward them. “But I think your friend has other ideas. Hey there—look out—look out, you’ll fall off, you big dunce, you!”
But Terrybubble, deaf to the Wizard’s warnings, had already opened a gate in the golden fence and let his long bony tail over the edge.
Quickly catching the idea, Bamboula manoeuvered the island closer, till the dinosaur’s tail hung directly in front of the castaways. Thankfully letting go the umbrella handle, Speedy swung forward and seizing hold of Terrybubble’s tail nimbly climbed its long ladderlike bones till he reached the island itself and
amid cheers and yells of approval, jumped ashore. Waddy, still clinging stubbornly to his newest invention, mounted more slowly and no sooner had the two set foot on the land before Terrybubble threw up his head and began screaming like a hundred fire sirens.
“Whee-eee !-Wah-hhhhh !-Who-ooooooo !” snorted the prehistoric monster. “Glugargle~glugurgle! Glugorgle!” At his first frightful screech, Bamboula dropped the steering wheel and clapped both hands to his ears, and while most of the islanders flung themselves face down on the grass, Umbrella Island, with no one at the controls, dropped like a plummet into the Nonestic Ocean, where it rocked and bounced violently to and fro from its heavy impact with the waves.
The shock of this drop silenced the dinosaur, who quickly pulled his tail up out of the chilly sea waters. Waddy, with a disgusted yell at Bamboula, threw down Terrybubble’s umbrella and dashed for the royal terrace, which he reached in a surprisingly short time for an old fellow of his size and tonnage. Speedy would have followed, but Terrybubble had snatched him up in one huge claw and was patting him fast and furiously with the other. Though the pats were gentle enough in themselves they were so
numerous they knocked all the rest of the breath from the exhausted boy. But even so, he heard with immense relief the rasp and rattle of the anchors, shooting down into the sea as Waddy touched the red button in the silver umbrella shaft. Almost instantly the rocking of the island ceased and Sizzeroo’s sorely tried subjects, with many doubtful glances at the dinosaur, began tiptoeing out of range.
“Why, Terrybubble, you’ve nearly frightened the wits out of everybody. What made you scream like that?” Gureeda, hopping down from the fence, shook her parasol reprovingly at the dinosaur.
“Can’t I snort a little when I’m happy?” muttered Terrybubble in a sulky voice. “And look here, why did you jump off the island and leave me? You know I cannot get along without somebody to tell me about life.”
“I wasn’t leaving you,” explained Speedy, wiggling crossly around in the monster’s claw. “I was just trying out your new umbrella. There, pick it up before it blows away and next time you’re happy, for Pete’s sake keep quiet. You nearly wrecked us with your snorting. It’s a lucky thing we came down where we did and not on top of those other islands. Look, Gureeda, we’re right between the two.”
At Speedy’s words, Terrybubble set the little boy down beside the Princess and picking up the huge umbrella that had so nearly been the end of his small friend and discoverer, began to put it up and down and hold it coquettishly over his head as he had seen the Umbrellians do. While he was amusing himself in this manner, Speedy and Gureeda looked curiously across the narrow span of water that separated them from the island on the right. This island was completely surrounded by a rock wall, with towers, turrets and battlements, so that it was more like a fortress than anything else. The rocks were gray, the helmets and uniforms of the grim looking warriors peering over the wall were gray and Speedy could not help thinking that they would consider as an enemy a country dropping so suddenly from the sky.
“Let’s have a look at the other one,” he proposed, as one of the soldiers raised his sword and shook it menacingly at the two children. So they hurried along, with Terrybubble clattering contentedly behind them, Gureeda explaining how she had gone to the Wizard’s Tower to show Speedy another picture in the natural history book and found the doors in the tower wall open and no one in sight. Quickly looking through one of the telescopes, she had seen
Waddy and Speedy drifting helplessly over the Nonestic Ocean and rushing back to the throne room had sent guards scurrying in every direction for Bamboula and Kachewka.
Bamboula, first to answer the summons, had dashed to the royal terrace, seized the silver wheel and headed the island downward. As the children reached the central umbrella shaft, Waddy and Barn-boula were arguing earnestly and, just stopping long enough to give them a wave, the two ran down the slope on the other side of the castle to have a look at the island on the left. This small sea kingdom had an even higher wall than the gray island. The wall Was of red and rusty rock and the castle built on the top of this broad rampart ran entirely round the island. Gulls and ravens circled screeching over its towers and the crash of the waves on the rocky sea wall was so thunderous and dismaying that Speedy and the Princess unconsciously drew back.
“Seems to me we have a couple of good reasons for flying away from here,” whispered Speedy. “Ouch-duck, look out!”
He jerked Gureeda violently aside just as an arrow from a narrow aperture in the red castle sped across the water and embedded itself in the sand at their feet. A note was impaled on the point. Pulling up
the long shaft, Speedy removed the small square parchment and read with mingled interest and misgiving the following message:
“Go away at once. You are interfering with our
War.
“Radj, the Red, of Roaraway Island.”
Gureeda’s eyes, as she read this note, grew round and dreamy.
“There’s a book about Roaraway Island in the castle. Come on, let’s get it.”
“This is no time for books,” muttered Speedy, thrusting the parchment into his pocket~ Radj th~e Red all ready to fight. what we need is guns. Come on. Come Qn, Terrybubble, and keep away from the edge there. Though arrows would go right through Terrybubble without hurting,” he remarked rather breathlessly as they scrambled up the terraced incline.
When they reached the top, Waddy, Kachewka and Bamboula were all bending over the steering wheel in the silver umbrella shaft.
“Look,” panted Speedy, holding out the pierced parchment. “We’ve fallen between two warring islands. We’d better light out of here quick.”
In a tense little silence the King’s three counselors read Radj’s threatening message.
“A war!” sputtered Bamboula, with what seemed to Speedy more joy than sorrow. “I’ll call out the guards and the parashooters.” With three tremendous thumps on his drum, he bounded to the edge of the terrace and began bawling at the top of his lungs:
“To ums! To ums! Umbrellians to ums!”
“There he goes starting another parade,” wailed Rachewka, while Waddy continued to jiggle the steering wheel. “Chew, chew, kachew! What are we to do! I ask you what are we to do?”
“Why not take off and fly away?” asked Speedy, impatiently hopping from one foot to the other.
“Because our steering gear was broken by that bump,” explained the Wizard glumly. “That bounce on the water did us no good. Why, it may take me days to repair this umbrella.”
“I thought magic instruments never got out of order,” fume
d Speedy, kneeling down beside the Wizard and squinting anxiously at the silver shaft
“Magic instruments are more delicate and perishable than any other kind.” Waddy straightening up with a sigh. “Water must have got into the works. Now you keep order here, Chewk, while I go aloft and see what can be done.”
“Hi, yi yi! The walls of both islands are swarming with soldiers,” squealed Pansy, sliding down the silver shaft of the umbrella. She had climbed to the top to get a better view of the enemy.
“To ums! To urns!” shrilled Bamboula, raising his voice and frantically beating on his drum.
“What does he mean, ‘To ums’?” Speedy whispered to the Princess in a puzzled aside.
“To umbrellas,” explained Gureeda shortly. “You’d better have yours ready, too. Look!” Following the direction of the Princess’ forefinger, he saw the Urn-brellians dashing from their homes, each carrying his umbrella like a shield, with the sharp, daggerlike points outward. In less than ten minutes they had formed a circle of shields round the island, with the sword-like ends bristling from the centers.
“How about me taking a claw?” suggested Terrybubble, twirling his new umbrella experimentally. “I used to be a splendid fighter.”
“Might be a good idea. What do you think?” Speedy looked questioningly at Gureeda and as Gureeda nodded her approval, the whistle and boom of cannon fire rent the air. Instead of shells the cannon catapulted a hundred arrows over the heads of the Umbrellians and, with a frightened squeak,
Kachewka darted for the shelter of the castle, leaving the children and his countrymen to shift for themselves.
“Another message from Radj,” gasped Speedy flopping down on his stomach and pulling the Princess down beside him. Fortunately the arrows fell just short of the center of the island and So injured no one, and Bamboula, bouncing down the terrace like a great rubber ball, yelled wildly for the parashooters to fire.
“What good will that do?” groaned Speedy, measuring the distance between Umbrella Island and the other two islands with a practiced eye. “We ought to have bombs or cannons or air ships. Oh, why doesn’t Waddy come back? Where’s the King and who’s in charge around here?”
As all of these questions flashed through his mind, Speedy suddenly recalled his conversation with the Wizard in the tower. Leaping to his feet, he sprinted at the fastest pace he had yet achieved for the silver umbrella shaft. Running his fingers wildly up and down its silver length, he pounced on a bright blue button and pushed it with all his strength. Above the roar of the cannon fire from both enemy islands, came a clash, clatter and slam, as the metal protective curtain dropped instantly from the edges of
the great umbrella and the arrows and rocks of the Sea Kings rattled harmlessly against this impenetrable wall of mail. Through its transparent folds the Umbrellians could see the puzzled and disgusted faces of the islands’ rulers and warriors as their weapons fell back uselessly into the sea. “You’ve saved the day-the night-the realm! Give a cheer for the hero at the helm!” screamed Pansy, leaping on Speedy’s shoulder and rubbing her soft head against his cheek.
“You certainly did save us,” cried the little Princess, hastening over to Speedy’s side. Her further remarks were drowned out by the yells and cheers of the generous-hearted Islanders, quick to approve of and appreciate the clever action of their young visitor. In the midst of the uproar, Sizzeroo, who had at last been wakened by the cannon fire, came plunging anxiously out of his castle.
“What now?” puffed the agitated monarch. “What’s going on around here?”
“A war, Father, a war!” called the little Princess gleefully. “A war and we’ve won!”
CHAPTER 12
A Visit to Roaraway Island
WHILE Bamboula, who felt he should have thought of the blue button himself, tramped rather sheepishly back to the royal terrace, Pansy in agitated little squeals explained the whole series of events following the rescue of the Wizard and Speedy.
“You mean we are down between two warring islands and cannot fly away till Waddy mends the umbrella?” asked Sizzeroo, sitting heavily down on a marble bench.
“Yes, and if this wide-awake young visitor had not dropped the mail curtain when he did, we would all have been neatly impaled on the enemy’s lances,” declared Pansy, transferring herself to the King’s shoulder and curling her braided tail affectionately around his neck. “He should have a medal, Sizzer, two medals, three medals and a saucer of cream.”
Speedy could not help smiling at thought of the saucer of cream. “It really was the Wizard who saved you,” he told the King in embarrassment.
“Yes, but” Sizzeroo rubbed his head, for arrows and stones were still rattling against the protective mail, and made it buzz unpleasantly. “You thought
of the curtain and let it down in time and are entitled to our undying gratitude and affection. I’ve a mind to give you half the island,” he declared im Pulsively.
“I’m going to give him my favorite Book of Travels, cried Gureeda, darting quickly into the palace.
“Now please don’t bother about a reward,” begged Speedy. “I’ll be leaving soon and it would be a shame to give half the island to a person who could not live here.”
“What’s all this about giving away the island?” demanded Kachewka, who, unnoticed, had joined the small group around the King. “Your Majesty cannot do that without calling a conference of your counselors.”
“And a sweet time he would have had finding you, sneered Pansy. “When danger threatens you are never here. If it had not been for this speedy boy-this boy Speedy-we’d all be perfectly punctured by now. He is a hero, I tell you.”
“Anyone could push a button,” retorted Kachewka with a contemptuous wave of his long, skinny hands.
“Then why didn’t you?” inquired the Watch Cat, licking her paws and giving her face a luxurious little scrub. “Because you were not here, my bold
counselor. Because you were hiding under the King’s throne and still have some gold dust sticking to your nose. Don’t deny it, you were there and the boy was here, which makes him a hero and you a there-o. And what have you to say to that old Blue Braids?”
“I think I’d better go see how Waddy is getting along,” murmured Speedy, who was growing more uncomfortable and embarrassed every moment. “Wait for me here, Terrybubble.” Without stopping to see how the argument ended, he hastened into the palace and mounted the silver steps to Waddy’s tower, three at a time. When he reached the Wizard’s workshop, he had no breath left to speak and, puffing and panting, sat down on a low bench to recover himself. Waddy was busily hammering and tinkering away at his electric steering board.
“You did us a good turn letting down that curtain. I see you never forget what you remember,” he observed, looking up with a smile. “I’ve a notion to make you my assistant. And as a first step, would you mind looking out the window and telling me what’s going on now?”
Speedy needed no second invitation to look through the revolving telescopes and dragged a tall stool hurriedly over to the nearest one. The telescope was pointed toward the gray island and, after noting that the walls were still swarming with soldiers, he deciphered the pennant flying from the castle.
“Nadj of Norroway,” announced the fluttering banner. Quickly reporting these facts to the Wizard, Speedy moved over to a telescope on the opposite side of the tower. Taking a long interested squint, he was astonished to see a small boat bearing twelve soldiers and a tall, red bearded King shoving off from Roaraway.
“Say, it looks as if Radj were coming over,” he puffed, hopping down from the stool. “The boat’s flying a white flag.”
“Well, just go down and see what he wants,” directed Waddy in an abstracted voice. “If you have to go through the curtain there’s a zipper opening by the golden gate at the foot of the King’s garden.”
“Shall I tell Sizzeroo or Kachewka?” asked Speedy, rather overcome at so much responsibility.
“Oh, no. I
think you can handle these Radjets and Nadjets while I fix this gadjet.” Waddy spoke with such calm confidence and at the same time smiled so encouragingly, Speedy’s chest expanded about three inches and, resolved to keep all of his wits about him, he gave the Wizard a cheerful wave and again clattered down the silver stair.
The bombardment had ceased for the time being, the Umbrellians more or less accustomed to strange adventures had returned to their tasks and pleasures and no one noticed the small boy hurrying so rapidly to the edge of the island. There was nobody at the foot of the King’s garden and, first locating the zipper by the golden gate, Speedy next dashed over to the spot where the boat of Radj was already resting on the oars of the seamen. Waving his arms to attract the King’s attention, Speedy scribbled a small note on a piece of paper he found in his pocket and held it up against the transparent curtain.
“What can we do for your Majesty?” Speedy had printed as he thought very diplomatically.
“You can go away,” came the answering message, scribbled by Radj with chalk on the cloak of one of his soldiers. “Go away and leave us in peace to continue our war.”
“Suppose we talk this over,” printed Speedy, after reading the Sea King’s message several times. “May I depend on your Majesty’s honor for a safe return after the conference?” He felt exceedingly proud of the word “conference” and waited impatiently for the King’s reply. Instead of printing his answer, Radj beckoned imperiously and then, removing his tall red helmet, solemnly nodded his head.
Taking this for a promise, Speedy hurried over to the zipper, snapped it open, stepped through and snapped it shut before the Red King and his warriors realized what had happened. Motioning for the boat to approach, Speedy stood with folded arms in what he considered a very proper ambassadorial attitude.