2015년 1월 29일 목요일

Glinda of Oz 1

Glinda of Oz 1

Glinda of Oz
: L. Frank Baum


  In which are related the Exciting Experiences of Princess
     Ozma of Oz, and Dorothy, in their hazardous journey
        to the home of the Flatheads, and to the Magic
           Isle of the Skeezers, and how they were
                rescued from dire peril by the
                    sorcery of Glinda the
                             Good

                        by L. FRANK BAUM
                     "Royal Historian of Oz"




  This Book
  is Dedicated to
  My Son
  Robert Stanton Baum




LIST OF CHAPTERS

   1  The Call to Duty
   2  Ozma and Dorothy
   3  The Mist Maidens
   4  The Magic Tent
   5  The Magic Stairway
   6  Flathead Mountain
   7  The Magic Isle
   8  Queen Coo-ee-oh
   9  Lady Aurex
  10  Under Water
  11  The Conquest of the Skeezers
  12  The Diamond Swan
  13  The Alarm Bell
  14  Ozma's Counsellors
  15  The Great Sorceress
  16  The Enchanted Fishes
  17  Under the Great Dome
  18  The Cleverness of Ervic
  19  Red Reera, the Yookoohoo
  20  A Puzzling Problem
  21  The Three Adepts
  22  The Sunken Island
  23  The Magic Words
  24  Glinda's Triumph




Chapter One

The Call to Duty


Glinda, the good Sorceress of Oz, sat in the grand court of her palace,
surrounded by her maids of honor--a hundred of the most beautiful girls
of the Fairyland of Oz. The palace court was built of rare marbles,
exquisitely polished. Fountains tinkled musically here and there; the
vast colonnade, open to the south, allowed the maidens, as they raised
their heads from their embroideries, to gaze upon a vista of rose-hued
fields and groves of trees bearing fruits or laden with sweet-scented
flowers. At times one of the girls would start a song, the others
joining in the chorus, or one would rise and dance, gracefully swaying
to the music of a harp played by a companion. And then Glinda smiled,
glad to see her maids mixing play with work.

Presently among the fields an object was seen moving, threading the
broad path that led to the castle gate. Some of the girls looked upon
this object enviously; the Sorceress merely gave it a glance and nodded
her stately head as if pleased, for it meant the coming of her friend
and mistress--the only one in all the land that Glinda bowed to.

Then up the path trotted a wooden animal attached to a red wagon, and
as the quaint steed halted at the gate there descended from the wagon
two young girls, Ozma, Ruler of Oz, and her companion, Princess
Dorothy. Both were dressed in simple white muslin gowns, and as they
ran up the marble steps of the palace they laughed and chatted as gaily
as if they were not the most important persons in the world's loveliest
fairyland.

The maids of honor had risen and stood with bowed heads to greet the
royal Ozma, while Glinda came forward with outstretched arms to greet
her guests.

"We've just come on a visit, you know," said Ozma. "Both Dorothy and I
were wondering how we should pass the day when we happened to think
we'd not been to your Quadling Country for weeks, so we took the
Sawhorse and rode straight here."

"And we came so fast," added Dorothy, "that our hair is blown all
fuzzy, for the Sawhorse makes a wind of his own. Usually it's a day's
journey from the Em'rald City, but I don't s'pose we were two hours on
the way."

"You are most welcome," said Glinda the Sorceress, and led them through
the court to her magnificent reception hall. Ozma took the arm of her
hostess, but Dorothy lagged behind, kissing some of the maids she knew
best, talking with others, and making them all feel that she was their
friend. When at last she joined Glinda and Ozma in the reception hall,
she found them talking earnestly about the condition of the people, and
how to make them more happy and contented--although they were already
the happiest and most contented folks in all the world.

This interested Ozma, of course, but it didn't interest Dorothy very
much, so the little girl ran over to a big table on which was lying
open Glinda's Great Book of Records.

This Book is one of the greatest treasures in Oz, and the Sorceress
prizes it more highly than any of her magical possessions. That is the
reason it is firmly attached to the big marble table by means of golden
chains, and whenever Glinda leaves home she locks the Great Book
together with five jeweled padlocks, and carries the keys safely hidden
in her bosom.

I do not suppose there is any magical thing in any fairyland to compare
with the Record Book, on the pages of which are constantly being
printed a record of every event that happens in any part of the world,
at exactly the moment it happens.  And the records are always truthful,
although sometimes they do not give as many details as one could wish.
But then, lots of things happen, and so the records have to be brief or
even Glinda's Great Book could not hold them all.

Glinda looked at the records several times each day, and Dorothy,
whenever she visited the Sorceress, loved to look in the Book and see
what was happening everywhere. Not much was recorded about the Land of
Oz, which is usually peaceful and uneventful, but today Dorothy found
something which interested her. Indeed, the printed letters were
appearing on the page even while she looked.

"This is funny!" she exclaimed. "Did you know, Ozma, that there were
people in your Land of Oz called Skeezers?"

"Yes," replied Ozma, coming to her side, "I know that on Professor
Wogglebug's Map of the Land of Oz there is a place marked 'Skeezer,'
but what the Skeezers are like I do not know. No one I know has ever
seen them or heard of them. The Skeezer Country is 'way at the upper
edge of the Gillikin Country, with the sandy, impassable desert on one
side and the mountains of Oogaboo on another side. That is a part of
the Land of Oz of which I know very little."

"I guess no one else knows much about it either, unless it's the
Skeezers themselves," remarked Dorothy. "But the Book says: 'The
Skeezers of Oz have declared war on the Flatheads of Oz, and there is
likely to be fighting and much trouble as the result.'"

"Is that all the Book says?" asked Ozma.

"Every word," said Dorothy, and Ozma and Glinda both looked at the
Record and seemed surprised and perplexed.

"Tell me, Glinda," said Ozma, "who are the Flatheads?"

"I cannot, your Majesty," confessed the Sorceress. "Until now I never
have heard of them, nor have I ever heard the Skeezers mentioned. In
the faraway corners of Oz are hidden many curious tribes of people, and
those who never leave their own countries and never are visited by
those from our favored part of Oz, naturally are unknown to me.
However, if you so desire, I can learn through my arts of sorcery
something of the Skeezers and the Flatheads."

"I wish you would," answered Ozma seriously. "You see, Glinda, if these
are Oz people they are my subjects and I cannot allow any wars or
troubles in the Land I rule, if I can possibly help it."

"Very well, your Majesty," said the Sorceress, "I will try to get some
information to guide you. Please excuse me for a time, while I retire
to my Room of Magic and Sorcery."

"May I go with you?" asked Dorothy, eagerly.

"No, Princess," was the reply. "It would spoil the charm to have anyone
present."

So Glinda locked herself in her own Room of Magic and Dorothy and Ozma
waited patiently for her to come out again.

In about an hour Glinda appeared, looking grave and thoughtful.

"Your Majesty," she said to Ozma, "the Skeezers live on a Magic Isle in
a great lake. For that reason--because the Skeezers deal in magic--I
can learn little about them."

"Why, I didn't know there was a lake in that part of Oz," exclaimed
Ozma. "The map shows a river running through the Skeezer Country, but
no lake."

"That is because the person who made the map never had visited that
part of the country," explained the Sorceress. "The lake surely is
there, and in the lake is an island--a Magic Isle--and on that island
live the people called the Skeezers."

"What are they like?" inquired the Ruler of Oz.

"My magic cannot tell me that," confessed Glinda, "for the magic of the
Skeezers prevents anyone outside of their domain knowing anything about
them."

"The Flatheads must know, if they're going to fight the Skeezers,"
suggested Dorothy.

"Perhaps so," Glinda replied, "but I can get little information
concerning the Flatheads, either. They are people who inhabit a
mountain just south of the Lake of the Skeezers. The mountain has steep
sides and a broad, hollow top, like a basin, and in this basin the
Flatheads have their dwellings. They also are magic-workers and usually
keep to themselves and allow no one from outside to visit them. I have
learned that the Flatheads number about one hundred people--men, women
and children--while the Skeezers number just one hundred and one."

"What did they quarrel about, and why do they wish to fight one
another?" was Ozma's next question.

"I cannot tell your Majesty that," said Glinda.

"But see here!" cried Dorothy, "it's against the law for anyone but
Glinda and the Wizard to work magic in the Land of Oz, so if these two
strange people are magic-makers they are breaking the law and ought to
be punished!" Ozma smiled upon her little friend.

"Those who do not know me or my laws," she said, "cannot be expected to
obey my laws. If we know nothing of the Skeezers or the Flatheads, it
is likely that they know nothing of us."

"But they ought to know, Ozma, and we ought to know. Who's going to
tell them, and how are we going to make them behave?"

"That," returned Ozma, "is what I am now considering. What would you
advise, Glinda?"

The Sorceress took a little time to consider this question, before she
made reply. Then she said: "Had you not learned of the existence of the
Flatheads and the Skeezers, through my Book of Records, you would never
have worried about them or their quarrels. So, if you pay no attention
to these peoples, you may never hear of them again."

"But that wouldn't be right," declared Ozma. "I am Ruler of all the
Land of Oz, which includes the Gillikin Country, the Quadling Country,
the Winkie Country and the Munchkin Country, as well as the Emerald
City, and being the Princess of this fairyland it is my duty to make
all my people--wherever they may be--happy and content and to settle
their disputes and keep them from quarreling. So, while the Skeezers
and Flatheads may not know me or that I am their lawful Ruler, I now
know that they inhabit my kingdom and are my subjects, so I would not
be doing my duty if I kept away from them and allowed them to fight."

"That's  a  fact,  Ozma,"  commented  Dorothy. "You've got to go up to
the Gillikin Country and make these people behave themselves and make
up their quarrels. But how are you going to do it?"

"That is what is puzzling me also, your Majesty," said the Sorceress.
"It may be dangerous for you to go into those strange countries, where
the people are possibly fierce and warlike."

"I am not afraid," said Ozma, with a smile.

"'Tisn't a question of being 'fraid," argued Dorothy. "Of course we
know you're a fairy, and can't be killed or hurt, and we know you've a
lot of magic of your own to help you. But, Ozma dear, in spite of all
this you've been in trouble before, on account of wicked enemies, and
it isn't right for the Ruler of all Oz to put herself in danger."

"Perhaps I shall be in no danger at all," returned Ozma, with a little
laugh. "You mustn't imagine danger, Dorothy, for one should only
imagine nice things, and we do not know that the Skeezers and Flatheads
are wicked people or my enemies. Perhaps they would be good and listen
to reason."

"Dorothy is right, your Majesty," asserted the Sorceress. "It is true
we know nothing of these faraway subjects, except that they intend to
fight one another, and have a certain amount of magic power at their
command. Such folks do not like to submit to interference and they are
more likely to resent your coming among them than to receive you kindly
and graciously, as is your due."

"If you had an army to take with you," added Dorothy, "it wouldn't be
so bad; but there isn't such a thing as an army in all Oz."

"I have one soldier," said Ozma.

"Yes, the soldier with the green whiskers; but he's dreadful 'fraid of
his gun and never loads it. I'm sure he'd run rather than fight. And
one soldier, even if he were brave, couldn't do much against two
hundred and one Flatheads and Skeezers."

"What then, my friends, would you suggest?" inquired Ozma.

"I advise you to send the Wizard of Oz to them, and let him inform them
that it is against the laws of Oz to fight, and that you command them
to settle their differences and become friends," proposed Glinda. "Let
the Wizard tell them they will be punished if they refuse to obey the
commands of the Princess of all the Land of Oz."

Ozma shook her head, to indicate that the advice was not to her
satisfaction.

"If they refuse, what then?" she asked. "I should be obliged to carry
out my threat and punish them, and that would be an unpleasant and
difficult thing to do. I am sure it would be better for me to go
peacefully, without an army and armed only with my authority as Ruler,
and plead with them to obey me. Then, if they prove obstinate I could
resort to other means to win their obedience."

"It's a ticklish thing, anyhow you look at it," sighed Dorothy. "I'm
sorry now that I noticed the Record in the Great Book."

"But can't you realize, my dear, that I must do my duty, now that I am
aware of this trouble?" asked Ozma. "I am fully determined to go at
once to the Magic Isle of the Skeezers and to the enchanted mountain of
the Flatheads, and prevent war and strife between their inhabitants.
The only question to decide is whether it is better for me to go alone,
or to assemble a party of my friends and loyal supporters to accompany
me."

"If you go I want to go, too," declared Dorothy. "Whatever happens it's
going to be fun--'cause all excitement is fun--and I wouldn't miss it
for the world!"

Neither Ozma nor Glinda paid any attention to this statement, for they
were gravely considering the serious aspect of this proposed adventure.

"There are plenty of friends who would like to go with you," said the
Sorceress, "but none of them would afford your Majesty any protection
in case you were in danger. You are yourself the most powerful fairy in
Oz, although both I and the Wizard have more varied arts of magic at
our command. However, you have one art that no other in all the world
can equal--the art of winning hearts and making people love to bow to
your gracious presence. For that reason I believe you can accomplish
more good alone than with a large number of subjects in your train."

"I believe that also," agreed the Princess. "I shall be quite able to
take care of myself, you know, but might not be able to protect others
so well. I do not look for opposition, however. I shall speak to these
people in kindly words and settle their dispute--whatever it may be--in
a just manner."

"Aren't you going to take me?" pleaded Dorothy. "You'll need some
companion, Ozma."

The Princess smiled upon her little friend.

"I see no reason why you should not accompany me," was her reply. "Two
girls are not very warlike and they will not suspect us of being on any
errand but a kindly and peaceful one. But, in order to prevent war and
strife between these angry peoples, we must go to them at once. Let us
return immediately to the Emerald City and prepare to start on our
journey early tomorrow morning."

Glinda was not quite satisfied with this plan, but could not think of
any better way to meet the problem. She knew that Ozma, with all her
gentleness and sweet disposition, was accustomed to abide by any
decision she had made and could not easily be turned from her purpose.
Moreover she could see no great danger to the fairy Ruler of Oz in the
undertaking, even though the unknown people she was to visit proved
obstinate. But Dorothy was not a fairy; she was a little girl who had
come from Kansas to live in the Land of Oz. Dorothy might encounter
dangers that to Ozma would be as nothing but to an "Earth child" would
be very serious.

The very fact that Dorothy lived in Oz, and had been made a Princess by
her friend Ozma, prevented her from being killed or suffering any great
bodily pain as long as she lived in that fairyland. She could not grow
big, either, and would always remain the same little girl who had come
to Oz, unless in some way she left that fairyland or was spirited away
from it. But Dorothy was a mortal, nevertheless, and might possibly be
destroyed, or hidden where none of her friends could ever find her. She
could, for instance be cut into pieces, and the pieces, while still
alive and free from pain, could be widely scattered; or she might be
buried deep underground or "destroyed" in other ways by evil magicians,
were she not properly protected. These facts Glinda was considering
while she paced with stately tread her marble hall.

Finally the good Sorceress paused and drew a ring from her finger,
handing it to Dorothy.

"Wear this ring constantly until your return," she said to the girl.
"If serious danger threatens you, turn the ring around on your finger
once to the right and another turn to the left. That will ring the
alarm bell in my palace and I will at once come to your rescue. But do
not use the ring unless you are actually in danger of destruction.
While you remain with Princess Ozma I believe she will be able to
protect you from all lesser ills."

"Thank you, Glinda," responded Dorothy gratefully, as she placed the
ring on her finger. "I'm going to wear my Magic Belt which I took from
the Nome King, too, so I guess I'll be safe from anything the Skeezers
and Flatheads try to do to me."

Ozma had many arrangements to make before she could leave her throne
and her palace in the Emerald City, even for a trip of a few days, so
she bade goodbye to Glinda and with Dorothy climbed into the Red Wagon.
A word to the wooden Sawhorse started that astonishing creature on the
return journey, and so swiftly did he run that Dorothy was unable to
talk or do anything but hold tight to her seat all the way back to the
Emerald City.




Chapter Two

Ozma and Dorothy


Residing in Ozma's palace at this time was a live Scarecrow, a most
remarkable and intelligent creature who had once ruled the Land of Oz
for a brief period and was much loved and respected by all the people.
Once a Munchkin farmer had stuffed an old suit of clothes with straw
and put stuffed boots on the feet and used a pair of stuffed cotton
gloves for hands. The head of the Scarecrow was a stuffed sack fastened
to the body, with eyes, nose, mouth and ears painted on the sack. When
a hat had been put on the head, the thing was a good imitation of a
man. The farmer placed the Scarecrow on a pole in his cornfield and it
came to life in a curious manner. Dorothy, who was passing by the
field, was hailed by the live Scarecrow and lifted him off his pole. He
then went with her to the Emerald City, where the Wizard of Oz gave him
some excellent brains, and the Scarecrow soon became an important
personage.

Ozma considered the Scarecrow one of her best friends and most loyal
subjects, so the morning after her visit to Glinda she asked him to
take her place as Ruler of the Land of Oz while she was absent on a
journey, and the Scarecrow at once consented without asking any
questions.

Ozma had warned Dorothy to keep their journey a secret and say nothing
to anyone about the Skeezers and Flatheads until their return, and
Dorothy promised to obey. She longed to tell her girl friends, tiny
Trot and Betsy Bobbin, of the adventure they were undertaking, but
refrained from saying a word on the subject although both these girls
lived with her in Ozma's palace.

Indeed, only Glinda the Sorceress knew they were going, until after
they had gone, and even the Sorceress didn't know what their errand
might be.

Princess Ozma took the Sawhorse and the Red Wagon, although she was not
sure there was a wagon road all the way to the Lake of the Skeezers.
The Land of Oz is a pretty big place, surrounded on all sides by a
Deadly Desert which it is impossible to cross, and the Skeezer Country,
according to the map, was in the farthest northwestern part of Oz,
bordering on the north desert. As the Emerald City was exactly in the
center of Oz, it was no small journey from there to the Skeezers.

Around the Emerald City the country is thickly settled in every
direction, but the farther away you get from the city the fewer people
there are, until those parts that border on the desert have small
populations. Also those faraway sections are little known to the Oz
people, except in the south, where Glinda lives and where Dorothy has
often wandered on trips of exploration.

The least known of all is the Gillikin Country, which harbors many
strange bands of people among its mountains and valleys and forests and
streams, and Ozma was now bound for the most distant part of the
Gillikin Country.

"I am really sorry," said Ozma to Dorothy, as they rode away in the Red
Wagon, "not to know more about the wonderful Land I rule. It is my duty
to be acquainted with every tribe of people and every strange and
hidden country in all Oz, but I am kept so busy at my palace making
laws and planning for the comforts of those who live near the Emerald
City, that I do not often find time to make long journeys."

"Well," replied Dorothy, "we'll prob'bly find out a lot on this trip,
and we'll learn all about the Skeezers and Flatheads, anyhow. Time
doesn't make much diff'rence in the Land of Oz, 'cause we don't grow
up, or get old, or become sick and die, as they do other places; so, if
we explore one place at a time, we'll by-an'-by know all about every
nook and corner in Oz."

Dorothy wore around her waist the Nome King's Magic Belt, which
protected her from harm, and the Magic Ring which Glinda had given her
was on her finger. Ozma had merely slipped a small silver wand into the
bosom of her gown, for fairies do not use chemicals and herbs and the
tools of wizards and sorcerers to perform their magic. The Silver Wand
was Ozma's one weapon of offense and defense and by its use she could
accomplish many things.

They had left the Emerald City just at sunrise and the Sawhorse
traveled very swiftly over the roads towards the north, but in a few
hours the wooden animal had to slacken his pace because the farm houses
had become few and far between and often there were no paths at all in
the direction they wished to follow. At such times they crossed the
fields, avoiding groups of trees and fording the streams and rivulets
whenever they came to them. But finally they reached a broad hillside
closely covered with scrubby brush, through which the wagon could not
pass.

"It will be difficult even for you and me to get through without
tearing our dresses," said Ozma, "so we must leave the Sawhorse and the
Wagon here until our return."

"That's all right," Dorothy replied, "I'm tired riding, anyhow. Do you
s'pose, Ozma, we're anywhere near the Skeezer Country?"

"I cannot tell, Dorothy dear, but I know we've been going in the right
direction, so we are sure to find it in time."

The scrubby brush was almost like a grove of small trees, for it
reached as high as the heads of the two girls, neither of whom was very
tall. They were obliged to thread their way in and out, until Dorothy
was afraid they would get lost, and finally they were halted by a
curious thing that barred their further progress. It was a huge web--as
if woven by gigantic spiders--and the delicate, lacy film was fastened
stoutly to the branches of the bushes and continued to the right and
left in the form of a half circle. The threads of this web were of a
brilliant purple color and woven into numerous artistic patterns, but
it reached from the ground to branches above the heads of the girls and
formed a sort of fence that hedged them in.

"It doesn't look very strong, though," said Dorothy. "I wonder if we
couldn't break through." She tried but found the web stronger than it
seemed. All her efforts could not break a single thread.

"We must go back, I think, and try to get around this peculiar web,"
Ozma decided.

So they turned to the right and, following the web found that it seemed
to spread in a regular circle. On and on they went until finally Ozma
said they had returned to the exact spot from which they had started.
"Here is a handkerchief you dropped when we were here before," she said
to Dorothy.

"In that case, they must have built the web behind us, after we walked
into the trap," exclaimed the little girl.

"True," agreed Ozma, "an enemy has tried to imprison us."

"And they did it, too," said Dorothy. "I wonder who it was."

"It's a spider-web, I'm quite sure," returned Ozma, "but it must be the
work of enormous spiders."

"Quite right!" cried a voice behind them. Turning quickly around they
beheld a huge purple spider sitting not two yards away and regarding
them with its small bright eyes.

Then there crawled from the bushes a dozen more great purple spiders,
which saluted the first one and said:

"The web is finished, O King, and the strangers are our prisoners."

Dorothy did not like the looks of these spiders at all. They had big
heads, sharp claws, small eyes and fuzzy hair all over their purple
bodies.

"They look wicked," she whispered to Ozma. "What shall we do?"

Ozma gazed upon the spiders with a serious face.

"What is your object in making us prisoners?" she inquired.

"We need someone to keep house for us," answered the Spider King.
"There is sweeping and dusting to be done, and polishing and washing of
dishes, and that is work my people dislike to do. So we decided that if
any strangers came our way we would capture them and make them our
servants."

"I am Princess Ozma, Ruler of all Oz," said the girl with dignity.

"Well, I am King of all Spiders," was the reply, "and that makes me
your master. Come with me to my palace and I will instruct you in your
work."

"I won't," said Dorothy indignantly. "We won't have anything to do with
you."

"We'll see about that," returned the Spider in a severe tone, and the
next instant he made a dive straight at Dorothy, opening the claws in
his legs as if to grab and pinch her with the sharp points. But the
girl was wearing her Magic Belt and was not harmed. The Spider King
could not even touch her. He turned swiftly and made a dash at Ozma,
but she held her Magic Wand over his head and the monster recoiled as
if it had been struck.

"You'd better let us go," Dorothy advised him, "for you see you can't
hurt us."

"So I see," returned the Spider King angrily. "Your magic is greater
than mine. But I'll not help you to escape. If you can break the magic
web my people have woven you may go; if not you must stay here and
starve." With that the Spider King uttered a peculiar whistle and all
the spiders disappeared.

"There is more magic in my fairyland than I dreamed of," remarked the
beautiful Ozma, with a sigh of regret. "It seems that my laws have not
been obeyed, for even these monstrous spiders defy me by means of
Magic."

"Never mind that now," said Dorothy; "let's see what we can do to get
out of this trap."

They now examined the web with great care and were amazed at its
strength. Although finer than the finest silken hairs, it resisted all
their efforts to work through, even though both girls threw all their
weight against it.

"We must find some instrument which will cut the threads of the web,"
said Ozma, finally. "Let us look about for such a tool."

So they wandered among the bushes and finally came to a shallow pool of
water, formed by a small bubbling spring. Dorothy stooped to get a
drink and discovered in the water a green crab, about as big as her
hand. The crab had two big, sharp claws, and as soon as Dorothy saw
them she had an idea that those claws could save them.

"Come out of the water," she called to the crab; "I want to talk to
you."

Rather lazily the crab rose to the surface and caught hold of a bit of
rock. With his head above the water he said in a cross voice:

"What do you want?"

"We want you to cut the web of the purple spiders with your claws, so
we can get through it," answered Dorothy. "You can do that, can't you?"

"I suppose so," replied the crab. "But if I do what will you give me?"

"What do you wish?" Ozma inquired.

"I wish to be white, instead of green," said the crab. "Green crabs are
very common, and white ones are rare; besides the purple spiders, which
infest this hillside, are afraid of white crabs. Could you make me
white if I should agree to cut the web for you?"

"Yes," said Ozma, "I can do that easily. And, so you may know I am
speaking the truth, I will change your color now."

She waved her silver wand over the pool and the crab instantly became
snow-white--all except his eyes, which remained black. The creature saw
his reflection in the water and was so delighted that he at once
climbed out of the pool and began moving slowly toward the web, by
backing away from the pool. He moved so very slowly that Dorothy cried
out impatiently: "Dear me, this will never do!" Caching the crab in her
hands she ran with him to the web.

She had to hold him up even then, so he could reach with his claws
strand after strand of the filmy purple web, which he was able to sever
with one nip.

When enough of the web had been cut to allow them to pass, Dorothy ran
back to the pool and placed the white crab in the water, after which
she rejoined Ozma. They were just in time to escape through the web,
for several of the purple spiders now appeared, having discovered that
their web had been cut, and had the girls not rushed through the
opening the spiders would have quickly repaired the cuts and again
imprisoned them.

Ozma and Dorothy ran as fast as they could and although the angry
spiders threw a number of strands of web after them, hoping to lasso
them or entangle them in the coils, they managed to escape and clamber
to the top of the hill.




Chapter Three

The Mist Maidens


From the top of the hill Ozma and Dorothy looked down into the valley
beyond and were surprised to find it filled with a floating mist that
was as dense as smoke. Nothing in the valley was visible except these
rolling waves of mist, but beyond, on the other side, rose a grassy
hill that appeared quite beautiful.

"Well," said Dorothy, "what are we to do, Ozma? Walk down into that
thick fog, an' prob'bly get lost in it, or wait till it clears away?"

"I'm not sure it will clear away, however long we wait," replied Ozma,
doubtfully. "If we wish to get on, I think we must venture into the
mist."

"But we can't see where we're going, or what we're stepping on,"
protested Dorothy.  "There may be dreadful things mixed up in that fog,
an' I'm scared just to think of wading into it."

Even Ozma seemed to hesitate. She was silent and thoughtful for a
little while, looking at the rolling drifts that were so gray and
forbidding. Finally she said:

"I believe this is a Mist Valley, where these moist clouds always
remain, for even the sunshine above does not drive them away. Therefore
the Mist Maids must live here, and they are fairies and should answer
my call."

She placed her two hands before her mouth, forming a hollow with them,
and uttered a clear, thrilling, bird-like cry. It floated far out over
the mist waves and presently was answered by a similar sound, as of a
far-off echo.

Dorothy was much impressed. She had seen many strange things since
coming to this fairy country, but here was a new experience. At
ordinary times Ozma was just like any little girl one might chance to
meet--simple, merry, lovable as could be--yet with a certain reserve
that lent her dignity in her most joyous moods. There were times,
however, when seated on her throne and commanding her subjects, or when
her fairy powers were called into use, when Dorothy and all others
about her stood in awe of their lovely girl Ruler and realized her
superiority.

Ozma waited. Presently out from the billows rose beautiful forms,
clothed in fleecy, trailing garments of gray that could scarcely be
distinguished from the mist. Their hair was mist-color, too; only their
gleaming arms and sweet, pallid faces proved they were living,
intelligent creatures answering the call of a sister fairy.

Like sea nymphs they rested on the bosom of the clouds, their eyes
turned questioningly upon the two girls who stood upon the bank. One
came quite near and to her Ozma said:

"Will you please take us to the opposite hillside? We are afraid to
venture into the mist. I am Princess Ozma of Oz, and this is my friend
Dorothy, a Princess of Oz."

The Mist Maids came nearer, holding out their arms. Without hesitation
Ozma advanced and allowed them to embrace her and Dorothy plucked up
courage to follow. Very gently the Mist Maids held them. Dorothy
thought the arms were cold and misty--they didn't seem real at all--yet
they supported the two girls above the surface of the billows and
floated with them so swiftly to the green hillside opposite that the
girls were astonished to find themselves set upon the grass before they
realized they had fairly started.

"Thank you!" said Ozma gratefully, and Dorothy also added her thanks
for the service.

The Mist Maids made no answer, but they smiled and waved their hands in
good-bye as again they floated out into the mist and disappeared from
view.




Chapter Four

The Magic Tent


"Well," said Dorothy with a laugh, "that was easier than I expected.
It's worth while, sometimes, to be a real fairy. But I wouldn't like to
be that kind, and live in a dreadful fog all the time."

They now climbed the bank and found before them a delightful plain that
spread for miles in all directions. Fragrant wild flowers were
scattered throughout the grass; there were bushes bearing lovely
blossoms and luscious fruits; now and then a group of stately trees
added to the beauty of the landscape. But there were no dwellings or
signs of life.

The farther side of the plain was bordered by a row of palms, and just
in front of the palms rose a queerly shaped hill that towered above the
plain like a mountain. The sides of this hill were straight up and
down; it was oblong in shape and the top seemed flat and level.

"Oh, ho!" cried Dorothy; "I'll bet that's the mountain Glinda told us
of, where the Flatheads live."

"If it is," replied Ozma, "the Lake of the Skeezers must be just beyond
the line of palm trees. Can you walk that far, Dorothy?"

"Of course, in time," was the prompt answer. "I'm sorry we had to leave
the Sawhorse and the Red Wagon behind us, for they'd come in handy just
now; but with the end of our journey in sight a tramp across these
pretty green fields won't tire us a bit."

It was a longer tramp than they suspected, however, and night overtook
them before they could reach the flat mountain. So Ozma proposed they
camp for the night and Dorothy was quite ready to approve. She didn't
like to admit to her friend she was tired, but she told herself that
her legs "had prickers in 'em," meaning they had begun to ache.

Usually when Dorothy started on a journey of exploration or adventure,
she carried with her a basket of food, and other things that a traveler
in a strange country might require, but to go away with Ozma was quite
a different thing, as experience had taught her. The fairy Ruler of Oz
only needed her silver wand--tipped at one end with a great sparkling
emerald--to provide through its magic all that they might need.
Therefore Ozma, having halted with her companion and selected a smooth,
grassy spot on the plain, waved her wand in graceful curves and chanted
some mystic words in her sweet voice, and in an instant a handsome tent
appeared before them. The canvas was striped purple and white, and from
the center pole fluttered the royal banner of Oz.

"Come, dear," said Ozma, taking Dorothy's hand, "I am hungry and I'm
sure you must be also; so let us go in and have our feast."

On entering the tent they found a table set for two, with snowy linen,
bright silver and sparkling glassware, a vase of roses in the center
and many dishes of delicious food, some smoking hot, waiting to satisfy
their hunger. Also, on either side of the tent were beds, with satin
sheets, warm blankets and pillows filled with swansdown. There were
chairs, too, and tall lamps that lighted the interior of the tent with
a soft, rosy glow.

Dorothy, resting herself at her fairy friend's command, and eating her
dinner with unusual enjoyment, thought of the wonders of magic. If one
were a fairy and knew the secret laws of nature and the mystic words
and ceremonies that commanded those laws, then a simple wave of a
silver wand would produce instantly all that men work hard and
anxiously for through weary years. And Dorothy wished in her kindly,
innocent heart, that all men and women could be fairies with silver
wands, and satisfy all their needs without so much work and worry, for
then, she imagined, they would have all their working hours to be happy
in. But Ozma, looking into her friend's face and reading those thoughts, gave a laugh and said:

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