L. Frank Baum_Oz 14 (11 page)

Button Bright now threw down the stick and with his hands in his
pockets wandered carelessly away.

"Now," said Glinda, "let the Glass Cat run and find him. He is in that
direction," pointing the way, "but how far off I do not know. Make
haste and lead him back to us as quickly as you can."

The Glass Cat did not obey everyone's orders, but she really feared the
great Sorceress, so as soon as the words were spoken the crystal animal
darted away and was quickly lost to sight.

The Wizard handed the mirror back to Glinda, for the woodland scene had
now faded from the glass. Then those who cared to rest sat down to
await Button Bright's coming. It was not long before hye appeared
through the trees and as he rejoined his friends he said in a peevish
tone:

"Don't ever send that Glass Cat to find me again. She was very impolite
and, if we didn't all know that she had no manners, I'd say she
insulted me."

Glinda turned upon the boy sternly.

"You have caused all of us much anxiety and annoyance," said she. "Only
my magic saved you from destruction. I forbid you to get lost again."

"Of course," he answered. "It won't be my fault if I get lost again;
but it wasn't my fault this time."

I must now tell you what happened to Ervic and the three other Skeezers
who were left floating in the iron boat after Queen Coo-ee-oh had been
transformed into a Diamond Swan by the magic of the Flathead Su-dic.

The four Skeezers were all young men and their leader was Ervic.
Coo-ee-oh had taken them with her in the boat to assist her if she
captured the Flathead chief, as she hoped to do by means of her silver
rope. They knew nothing about the witchcraft that moved the submarine
and so, when left floating upon the lake, were at a loss what to do.
The submarine could not be submerged by them or made to return to the
sunken island. There were neither oars nor sails in the boat, which was
not anchored but drifted quietly upon the surface of the lake.

The Diamond Swan had no further thought or care for her people. She had
sailed over to the other side of the lake and all the calls and
pleadings of Ervic and his companions were unheeded by the vain bird.
As there was nothing else for them to do, they sat quietly in their
boat and waited as patiently as they could for someone to come to their
aid.

The Flatheads had refused to help them and had gone back to their
mountain. All the Skeezers were imprisoned in the Great Dome and could
not help even themselves. When evening came, they saw the Diamond Swan,
still keeping to the opposite shore of the lake, walk out of the water
to the sands, shake her diamond-sprinkled feathers, and then disappear
among the bushes to seek a resting place for the night.

"I'm hungry," said Ervic.

"I'm cold," said another Skeezer.

"I'm tired," said a third.

"I'm afraid," said the last one of them.

But it did them no good to complain. Night fell and the moon rose and
cast a silvery sheen over the surface of the water.

"Go to sleep," said Ervic to his companions. "I'll stay awake and
watch, for we may be rescued in some unexpected way."

So the other three laid themselves down in the bottom of the boat and
were soon fast asleep.

Ervic watched. He rested himself by leaning over the bow of the boat,
his face near to the moonlit water, and thought dreamily of the day's
surprising events and wondered what would happen to the prisoners in
the Great Dome.

Suddenly a tiny goldfish popped its head above the surface of the lake,
not more than a foot from his eyes. A silverfish then raised its head
beside that of the goldfish, and a moment later a bronzefish lifted its
head beside the others. The three fish, all in a row, looked earnestly
with their round, bright eyes into the astonished eyes of Ervic the
Skeezer.

"We are the three Adepts whom Queen Coo-ee-oh betrayed and wickedly
transformed," said the goldfish, its voice low and soft but distinctly
heard in the stillness of the night.

"I know of our Queen's treacherous deed," replied Ervic, "and I am
sorry for your misfortune. Have you been in the lake ever since?"

"Yes," was the reply.

"I—I hope you are well—and comfortable," stammered Ervic, not knowing
what else to say.

"We knew that some day Coo-ee-oh would meet with the fate she so richly
deserves," declared the bronzefish. "We have waited and watched for
this time. Now if you will promise to help us and will be faithful and
true, you can aid us in regaining our natural forms, and save yourself
and all your people from the dangers that now threaten you."

"Well," said Ervic, "you can depend on my doing the best I can. But I'm
no witch, nor magician, you must know."

"All we ask is that you obey our instructions," returned the
silverfish. "We know that you are honest and that you served Coo-ee-oh
only because you were obliged to in order to escape her anger. Do as we
command and all will be well."

"I promise!" exclaimed the young man. "Tell me what I am to do first."

"You will find in the bottom of your boat the silver cord which dropped
from Coo-ee-oh's hand when she was transformed," said the goldfish.
"Tie one end of that cord to the bow of your boat and drop the other
end to us in the water. Together we will pull your boat to the shore."

Ervic much doubted that the three small fishes could move so heavy a
boat, but he did as he was told and the fishes all seized their end of
the silver cord in their mouths and headed toward the nearest shore,
which was the very place where the Flatheads had stood when they
conquered Queen Coo-ee-oh.

At first the boat did not move at all, although the fishes pulled with
all their strength. But presently the strain began to tell. Very slowly
the boat crept toward the shore, gaining more speed at every moment. A
couple of yards away from the sandy beach the fishes dropped the cord
from their mouths and swam to one side, while the iron boat, being now
under way, continued to move until its prow grated upon the sands.

Ervic leaned over the side and said to the fishes: "What next?"

"You will find upon the sand," said the silverfish, "a copper kettle,
which the Su-dic forgot when he went away. Cleanse it thoroughly in the
water of the lake, for it has had poison in it. When it is cleaned,
fill it with fresh water and hold it over the side of the boat, so that
we three may swim into the kettle. We will then instruct you further."

"Do you wish me to catch you, then?" asked Ervic in surprise.

"Yes," was the reply.

So Ervic jumped out of the boat and found the copper kettle. Carrying
it a little way down the beach, he washed it well, scrubbing away every
drop of the poison it had contained with sand from the shore.

Then he went back to the boat.

Ervic's comrades were still sound asleep and knew nothing of the three
fishes or what strange happenings were taking place about them. Ervic
dipped the kettle in the lake, holding fast to the handle until it was
under water. The gold and silver and bronze fishes promptly swam into
the kettle. The young Skeezer then lifted it, poured out a little of
the water so it would not spill over the edge, and said to the fishes:
"What next?"

"Carry the kettle to the shore. Take one hundred steps to the east,
along the edge of the lake, and then you will see a path leading
through the meadows, up hill and down dale. Follow the path until you
come to a cottage which is painted a purple color with white trimmings.
When you stop at the gate of this cottage we will tell you what to do
next. Be careful, above all, not to stumble and spill the water from
the kettle, or you would destroy us and all you have done would be in
vain."

The goldfish issued these commands and Ervic promised to be careful and
started to obey. He left his sleeping comrades in the boat, stepping
cautiously over their bodies, and on reaching the shore took exactly
one hundred steps to the east. Then he looked for the path and the
moonlight was so bright that he easily discovered it, although it was
hidden from view by tall weeds until one came full upon it. This path
was very narrow and did not seem to be much used, but it was quite
distinct and Ervic had no difficulty in following it. He walked through
a broad meadow, covered with tall grass and weeds, up a hill and down
into a valley and then up another hill and down again.

It seemed to Ervic that he had walked miles and miles. Indeed the moon
sank low and day was beginning to dawn when finally he discovered by
the roadside a pretty little cottage, painted purple with white
trimmings. It was a lonely place—no other buildings were anywhere
about and the ground was not tilled at all. No farmer lived here, that
was certain. Who would care to dwell in such an isolated place?

But Ervic did not bother his head long with such questions. He went up
to the gate that led to the cottage, set the copper kettle carefully
down and bending over it asked:

"What next?"

When Glinda the Good and her followers of the Rescue Expedition came in
sight of the Enchanted Mountain of the Flatheads, it was away to the
left of them, for the route they had taken through the Great Forest was
some distance from that followed by Ozma and Dorothy.

They halted awhile to decide whether they should call upon the Supreme
Dictator first, or go on to the Lake of the Skeezers.

"If we go to the mountain," said the Wizard, "we may get into trouble
with that wicked Su-dic, and then we would be delayed in rescuing Ozma
and Dorothy. So I think our best plan will be to go to the Skeezer
Country, raise the sunken island and save our friends and the
imprisoned Skeezers. Afterward we can visit the mountain and punish the
cruel magician of the Flatheads."

"That is sensible," approved the Shaggy Man. "I quite agree with you."

The others, too, seemed to think the Wizard's plan the best, and Glinda
herself commended it, so on they marched toward the line of palm trees
that hid the Skeezers' lake from view.

Pretty soon they came to the palms. These were set closely together,
the branches, which came quite to the ground, being so tightly
interlaced that even the Glass Cat could scarcely find a place to
squeeze through. The path which the Flatheads used was some distance
away.

"Here's a job for the Tin Woodman," said the Scarecrow.

So the Tin Woodman, who was always glad to be of use, set to work with
his sharp, gleaming axe, which he always carried, and in a surprisingly
short time had chopped away enough branches to permit them all to pass
easily through the trees.

Now the clear waters of the beautiful lake were before them and by
looking closely they could see the outlines of the Great Dome of the
sunken island, far from shore and directly in the center of the lake.

Of course every eye was at first fixed upon this dome, where Ozma and
Dorothy and the Skeezers were still fast prisoners. But soon their
attention was caught by a more brilliant sight, for here was the
Diamond Swan swimming just before them, its long neck arched proudly,
the amethyst eyes gleaming and all the diamond-sprinkled feathers
glistening splendidly under the rays of the sun.

"That," said Glinda, "is the transformation of Queen Coo-ce-oh, the
haughty and wicked witch who betrayed the three Adepts at Magic and
treated her people like slaves."

"She's wonderfully beautiful now," remarked the Frogman.

"It doesn't seem like much of a punishment," said Trot. "The Flathead
Su-dic ought to have made her a toad."

"I am sure Coo-ee-oh is punished," said Glinda, "for she has lost all
her magic power and her grand palace and can no longer misrule the poor
Skeezers."

"Let us call to her, and hear what she has to say," proposed the Wizard.

So Glinda beckoned the Diamond Swan, which swam gracefully to a
position near them. Before anyone could speak Coo-ee-oh called to them
in a rasping voice—for the voice of a swan is always harsh and
unpleasant—and said with much pride:

"Admire me, Strangers! Admire the lovely Coo-ee-oh, the handsomest
creature in all Oz. Admire me!"

"Handsome is as handsome does," replied the Scarecrow. "Are your deeds
lovely, Coo-ce-oh?"

"Deeds? What deeds can a swan do but swim around and give pleasure to
all beholders?" said the sparkling bird.

"Have you forgotten your former life? Have you forgotten your magic and
witchcraft?" inquired the Wizard.

"Magic—witchcraft? Pshaw, who cares for such silly things?" retorted
Coo-ee-oh. "As for my past life, it seems like an unpleasant dream. I
wouldn't go back to it if I could. Don't you admire my beauty,
Strangers?"

"Tell us, Coo-ee-oh," said Glinda earnestly, "if you can recall enough
of your witchcraft to enable us to raise the sunken island to the
surface of the lake. Tell us that and I'll give you a string of pearls
to wear around your neck and add to your beauty."

"Nothing can add to my beauty, for I'm the most beautiful creature
anywhere in the whole world."

"But how can we raise the island?"

"I don't know and I don't care. If ever I knew I've forgotten, and I'm
glad of it," was the response. "Just watch me circle around and see me
glitter!

"It's no use," said Button Bright; "the old Swan is too much in love
with herself to think of anything else."

"That's a fact," agreed Betsy with a sigh; "but we've got to get Ozma
and Dorothy out of that lake, somehow or other."

"And we must do it in our own way," added the Scarecrow.

"But how?" asked Uncle Henry in a grave voice, for he could not bear to
think of his dear niece Dorothy being out there under water; "how shall
we do it?"