Sky Island

by L. Frank Baum

  TROT CELEBRATES HER VICTORY

  CHAPTER 26.

  The Blue people were by this time dazed with wonder at all the eventsthat had transpired that eventful day, but they still had wit enough tobe glad the war was over; for in war some one is likely to get hurt andit is foolish to take such chances when one can remain quietly at home.The Blues did not especially admire the Pinkies, but it was easier toentertain them than to fight them, and, above all, the Blueskins weregreatly rejoiced that their wicked Boolooroo had been conquered andcould no longer abuse them. So they were quite willing to obey theorders of their girl Queen and in a short time the blasts of trumpetsand roll of drums and clashing of cymbals told Trot and Cap'n Bill thatthe Blue Bands had assembled before the palace.

  So they went down and found that a great crowd of people had gathered,and these cheered Trot with much enthusiasm--which was very differentfrom the scowls and surly looks with which they had formerly greetedtheir strange visitors from the Earth.

  The soldiers wore their best blue uniforms and were formed before thepalace in marching order, so Trot and Cap'n Bill headed the procession,and then came the soldiers--all keeping step--and then the bands,playing very loud noises on their instruments, and finally the crowd ofBlue citizens waving flags and banners and shouting joyfully.

  In this order they proceeded to the main gate, which Trot ordered theguards to throw wide open. Then they all marched out a little way intothe fields and found that the Army of Pinkies had already formed and wasadvancing steadily toward them.

  At the head of the Pinkies were Ghip-Ghisizzle and Button-Bright, whohad the parrot on his shoulder, and they were supported by CaptainCoralie and Captain Tintint and Rosalie the Witch. They had decided tocapture the Blue City at all hazards, that they might rescue Trot andCap'n Bill and conquer the Boolooroo, so when from a distance they sawthe Blueskins march from the gate, with banners flying and bandsplaying, they supposed a most terrible fight was about to take place.

  However, as the two forces came nearer together, Button-Bright spiedTrot and Cap'n Bill standing before the enemy, and the sight astonishedhim considerably.

  "Welcome, friends!" shouted Cap'n Bill in a loud voice; and "Welcome!"cried Trot; and "Welcome!" roared the Blue soldiers and the people ofthe Blue City.

  "Hooray!" yelled the parrot,

  "Welcome to our happy home From which no longer will we roam!"

  and then he flapped his wings and barked like a dog with pure delight,and added as fast as his bird's tongue could speak:

  "One army's pink and one is blue, But neither one is in a stew Because the naughty Boolooroo Is out of sight, so what we'll do Is try to be a jolly crew And dance and sing our too-ral-loo And to our friends be ever true And to our foes----"

  "Stop it!" said Button-Bright; "I can't hear myself think."

  The Pinkies were amazed at the strange reception of the Blues andhesitated to advance; but Trot now ran up in front of them and made alittle speech.

  "Pinkies," said she, "your Queen has conquered the Boolooroo and is nowthe Queen of the Blues. All of Sky Island, except the Fog Bank, is nowmy kingdom, so I welcome my faithful Pinkies to my Blue City, where youare to be royally entertained and have a good time. The war is over an'ever'body must be sociable an' happy or I'll know the reason why!"

  Now, indeed, the Pinkies raised a great shout of joy and the Bluesresponded with another joyful shout, and Rosalie kissed the little girland said she had performed wonders, and everybody shook hands with Cap'nBill and congratulated him upon his escape, and the parrot flew toTrot's shoulder and screeched:

  "The Pinkies are pink, the Blues are blue But Trot's the Queen, so too-ral-loo!"

  When the Blueskins saw Ghip-Ghisizzle they raised another great shout,for he was the favorite of the soldiers and very popular with all thepeople. But Ghip-Ghisizzle did not heed the shouting. He was lookingdowncast and sad, and it was easy to see he was disappointed because hehad not conquered the Boolooroo himself. But the people called upon himfor a speech, so he faced the Blueskins and said:

  "I escaped from the City because the Boolooroo tried to patch me, as youall know, and the Six Snubnosed Princesses tried to marry me, whichwould have been a far greater misfortune. But I have recovered the Bookof Royal Records, which has long been hidden in the Treasure Chamber,and by reading it I find that the Boolooroo is not your lawful Booloorooat all, having reigned more than his three hundred years. Since lastThursday, I, Ghip-Ghisizzle, have been the lawful Boolooroo of the BlueCountry, but now that you are conquered by Queen Trot I suppose I amconquered, too, and you have no Boolooroo at all."

  "Hooray!" cried the parrot;

  "Here's a pretty howdy-do-- You haven't any Boolooroo!"

  Trot had listened carefully to the Majordomo's speech. When he finishedshe said cheerfully:

  "Don't worry, Sizzle dear; it'll all come right pretty soon. Now, then,let's enter the City an' enjoy the grand feast that's being cooked. I'mnearly starved, myself, for this conquerin' kingdoms is hard work."

  So the Pinkies and the Blues marched side by side into the City andthere was great rejoicing and music and dancing and feasting and gamesand merrymaking that lasted for three full days.

  Trot carried Rosalie and Captain Coralie and Ghip-Ghisizzle to thepalace, and of course Button-Bright and Cap'n Bill were with her. Theyhad the Royal Chef serve dinner at once and they ate it in great state,seated in the Royal Banquet Hall, where they were waited on by a hundredservants. The parrot perched upon the back of Queen Trot's chair and thegirl fed it herself, being glad to have the jolly bird with her again.

  After they had eaten all they could, and the servants had been sentaway, Trot related her adventures, telling how, with the assistance ofthe billygoat, she had turned the tables on the wicked Boolooroo. Thenshe gave Rosalie back her magic ring, thanking the kind Witch for allshe had done for them.

  "And now," said she, "I want to say to Ghip-'Sizzle that jus' as soon aswe can find Button-Bright's umbrel we're going to fly home again. I'llalways be Queen of Sky Island, but the Pink and Blue Countries must eachhave a Ruler. I think I'll make 'Sizzle the Boolooroo of the Blues; butI want you to promise me, Ghip, that you'll destroy the Great Knife andits frame and clean up the room and turn it into a skating-rink an'never patch anyone as long as you rule the Blueskins."

  Ghip-Ghisizzle was overjoyed at the prospect of being Boolooroo of theBlues, but he looked solemn at the promise Trot exacted.

  "I'm not cruel," he said, "and I don't approve of patching in general,so I'll willingly destroy the Great Knife. But before I do that I wantthe privilege of patching the Snubnosed Princesses to each other--mixingthe six as much as possible--and then I want to patch the formerBoolooroo to the billygoat, which is the same punishment he was going toinflict upon Cap'n Bill."

  "No," said Trot, positively, "there's been enough patching in thiscountry and I won't have any more of it. The old Boolooroo and the sixstuck-up Princesses will be punished enough by being put out of thepalace. The people don't like 'em a bit, so they'll be outcasts andwanderers and that will make 'em sorry they were so wicked an' cruelwhen they were powerful. Am I right, Cap'n Bill?"

  "You are, mate," replied the sailor.

  "Please, Queen Trot," begged Ghip-Ghisizzle, "let me patch just theBoolooroo. It will be such a satisfaction."

  "I have said no, an' I mean it," answered the girl. "You let the poorold Boolooroo alone. There's nothing that hurts so much as a come-downin life, an' I 'spect the old rascal's goin' to be pretty miser'bleby'm'by."

  "What does he say to his reverse of fortune?" asked Rosalie.

  "Why, I don't b'lieve he knows about it," said Trot. "Guess I'd bettersend for him an' tell him what's happened."

  So the Captain of the Guards was given the key and told to fetch theBoolooroo from the Room of the Great Knife. The guards had a terriblestruggle with the goat, which was loose in the room and still wanted tofight, but finally they sub
dued the animal and then they took theBoolooroo out of the frame he was tied in and brought both him and thegoat before Queen Trot, who awaited them in the throne room of thepalace.

  When the courtiers and the people assembled saw the goat they gave agreat cheer, for the beast had helped to dethrone their wicked Ruler.

  "What's goin' to happen to this tough ol' warrior, Trot?" asked Cap'nBill. "It's my idee as he's braver than the whole Blue Army puttogether."

  "You're right, Cap'n," she returned. "I'll have 'Sizzle make a fine yardfor the goat, where he'll have plenty of blue grass to eat. An' I'llhave a pretty fence put around it an' make all the people honor an'respec' him jus' as long as he lives."

  "I'll gladly do that," promised the new Boolooroo; "and I'll feed thehonorable goat all the shavings and leather and tin cans he can eat,besides the grass. He'll be the happiest goat in Sky Island, I assureyou."

  As they led the now famous animal from the room the Boolooroo shudderedand said:

  "How dare you people give orders in my palace? I'm the Boolooroo!"

  "'Scuse me," said Trot; "I neglected to tell you that you're not theBoolooroo any more. We've got the Royal Record Book, an' it provesyou've already ruled this country longer than you had any right to.'Sides all that, I'm the Queen o' Sky Island--which means Queen o' thePinkies an' Queen o' the Blues--both of 'em. So things are run as I say,an' I've made Ghip-Ghisizzle Boolooroo in your place. He'll look afterthis end of the Island hereafter, an' unless I'm much mistaken he'll doit a heap better than you did."

  The former Boolooroo groaned.

  "What's going to become of me, then?" he asked. "Am I to be patched, orwhat?"

  "You won't be hurt," answered the girl, "but you'll have to find someother place to stay besides this palace, an' perhaps you'll enjoyworkin' for a livin, by way of variety."

  "Can't I take any of the treasure with me?" he pleaded.

  "Not even a bird cage," said she. "Ever'thing in the palace now belongsto Ghip-Ghisizzle."

  "Except the Six Snubnosed Princesses," exclaimed the new Boolooroo,earnestly. "Won't you please get rid of them, too, your Majesty? Can'tthey be discharged?"

  "Of course," said Trot; "they must go with their dear father an' mother.Isn't there some house in the City they can all live in, Ghip?"

  "Why, I own a little cabin at the end of the town," said Ghip-Ghisizzle,"and I'll let them use that, as I won't need it any longer. It isn't avery pretty cabin and the furniture is cheap and common, but I'm sureit is good enough for this wicked man and his family."

  "I'll not be wicked any more," sighed the old Boolooroo; "I'll reform.It's always best to reform when it is no longer safe to remain wicked.As a private citizen I shall be a model of deportment, because it wouldbe dangerous to be otherwise."

  Trot now sent for the Princesses, who had been weeping and wailing andfighting among themselves ever since they learned that their father hadbeen conquered. When first they entered the throne room they tried to beas haughty and scornful as ever, but the Blues who were assembled thereall laughed at them and jeered them, for there was not a single personin all the Blue Country who loved the Princesses the least little bit.

  Trot told the girls that they must go with their father to live inGhip-Ghisizzle's little old cabin, and when they heard this dreadfuldecree the six snubnosed ones began to scream and have hysterics, andbetween them they managed to make so much noise that no one could hearanything else. So Ghip-Ghisizzle ordered the Captain to take a file ofsoldiers and escort the raving beauties to their new home.

  This was done, the once royal family departing from the palace withshamed and downcast looks.

  Then the Room of the Great Knife was cleared of its awful furniture. Theframes were split into small pieces of bluewood, and the bencheschopped into kindling, and the immense sharp knife broken into bits. Allthe rubbish was piled in the square before the palace and a bonfire madeof it, while the Blue people clustered around and danced and sang withjoy as the blue flames devoured the dreadful instrument that had oncecaused them so much unhappiness.

  That evening Trot gave a grand ball in the palace, to which the mostimportant of the Pinkies and the Blueskins were invited. The combinedbands of both the countries played the music and a fine supper wasserved.

  The Pinkies would not dance with the Blues, however, nor would the Bluesdance with the Pinkies. The two nations were so different in all waysthat they were unable to agree at all, and several times during theevening quarrels arose and there was fighting between them, which Trotpromptly checked.

  "I think it will be best for us to go back to our own country as soon aspossible," suggested Rosalie the Witch; "for, if we stay here very long,the Blueskins may rise against us and cause the Pinkies much trouble."

  "Jus' as soon as we find that umbrel," promised Trot, "we'll dive intothe Fog Bank an' make tracks for the Land of Sunrise an' Sunset."