In the Chamber of Magic
When Queen Ra seized King Umb by the arm and fled with him from the
dining room, the Mimic Queen was alarmed. She realized it was useless
to attempt to deceive Toto, and she greatly feared the little dog would
succeed in convincing the Scarecrow and the others that something had
happened to Dorothy and the Wizard.
Fear lent speed to the Queen's feet as she ran down the corridor,
dragging King Umb after her, with Toto in close pursuit. She slammed
the door of the Chamber of Magic and locked it just in time to prevent
Toto's entry. Then she flung herself in a chair, gasping for breath.
When King Umb, who was even more frightened than his Queen, had got his
breath and could speak, he said raspingly, "So this is the way your
plan works--a miserable dog robs us of success!"
"Silence!" commanded Queen Ra angrily. "We are far from defeated. We
still have time to find the magic spell. And we will! We were fools to
give up the search and go to that silly dinner," she concluded bitterly.
She turned to Ozma's magic books and began feverishly leafing through
them. For perhaps ten minutes she continued her search fruitlessly.
Flung carelessly on the floor at her side was a great pile of books
through which she had previously looked in vain for the magic spell.
Only four books remained to be searched through.
While King Umb watched nervously, the Queen continued her frantic
quest. Now only two books remained. The magic spell must be in one of
these two volumes. Suddenly Queen Ra leaped to her feet with a cry of
triumph. "I have found it!" she announced with exultation. She tore a
page from the book and cast the volume to the floor.
"Come," she urged, "Let us return to Mount Illuso as speedily as
possible. Soon we will come again to Oz. But we will not be alone!"
Both Ra and Umb laughed with wicked satisfaction.
Just then the Scarecrow called to Dorothy and the Wizard to open the
door and admit them.
"Fools!" muttered Queen Ra. "In a short time you will all be my slaves."
Pausing to pick up Dorothy's Magic Belt, Queen Ra walked to a large
French window that looked down on the palace court-yard. Turning to
King Umb, she said, "These hateful shapes can serve us no longer,
so let us discard them and be on our way." Instantly the figures of
Dorothy and the Wizard vanished and in their places appeared two great,
black birds with huge, powerful wings.
Just as Cap'n Bill burst open the door, and the Scarecrow and the rest
crowded into the room, the birds flew from the window.
The little group hurried to the window and looked out. High above
the palace and swiftly disappearing in the night, flew two enormous
bat-like birds. The night was too dark and the birds too far away
for any of the Oz people to see that one of the creatures clutched
Dorothy's Magic Belt. While Queen Ra had not yet learned how to
command the many wonderful powers of the Magic Belt (or she would most
certainly have used the belt to transport herself and Umb to the Mimic
Land in the twinkling of an eye), nevertheless she had no intention of
leaving the valuable talisman behind to be used by the Oz people.
More bewildered than ever, the Scarecrow and his companions turned from
the window.
"I told you so!" declared Toto excitedly. "You see--those creatures
were not Dorothy and the Wizard at all."
"You are right," said the Scarecrow, "those great birds must be the
same beings that we thought were Dorothy and the Wizard."
"Certainly," replied Toto. "You can see for yourself that Dorothy and
the Wizard are not here."
It was true enough. There was no trace of Dorothy or the Wizard in the
Chamber of Magic.
"But who were those creatures? And why did they want us to believe they
were Dorothy and the Wizard? And what has happened to the real Dorothy
and the Wizard?" the Scarecrow asked helplessly.
"Why not look in the Magic Picture and find out?" asked the Patchwork
Girl, as she danced about the room.
"Of course, the very thing!" exclaimed the Scarecrow. "Why didn't I
think of that myself?"
"Because your brains are of an extraordinary quality," retorted Scraps,
"and you can't be expected to think common-sense thoughts."
The Magic Picture which hung on a wall in Ozma's boudoir was one of the
rarest treasures in all Oz. Ordinarily the picture presented merely an
attractive view of a pleasant countryside with rolling fields and a
forest in the background. But when anyone stood in front of the picture
and asked to see a certain person--anywhere in the world--the painted
picture faded and was replaced by the moving image of the person named
and his or her surroundings at that exact time.
The Scarecrow and his companions gathered about the Magic Picture and
the straw man said solemnly, "I want to see Dorothy and the Wizard."
Instantly the painted scene faded and in its place appeared the
interior of Hi-Lo's little cottage. Dorothy and the Wizard were just
about to sit down to the food Mrs. Hi-Lo had prepared for them.
"I wonder who those two funny little people are?" murmured Trot,
fascinated by the quaint appearance of Mr. and Mrs. Hi-Lo.
"They are not familiar to me," observed the Scarecrow reflectively,
"nor have I ever seen a cottage quite like that one in the Land of Oz."
For a time the group watched in silence while Dorothy and the Wizard
ate their food and conversed with Mr. and Mrs. Hi-Lo. But at length, as
nothing of importance occurred, the Scarecrow said:
"Even though we don't know where Dorothy and the Wizard are, at least
the Magic Picture has shown us they are safe for the moment and we
don't need to worry about them."
"Why not use Dorothy's Magic Belt to wish Dorothy and the Wizard back
here in the palace?" Trot asked suddenly as she stared at the images in
the Magic Picture.
"An excellent suggestion!" agreed the Scarecrow, his face beaming.
"Trot, I believe you have solved our problem," he said admiringly.
The Scarecrow knew that when Dorothy was not wearing her Magic Belt
on a journey, it was always kept in Ozma's Chamber of Magic. So the
straw man went there himself to get the belt. A few minutes later he
returned and announced gloomily, "It's gone. The Magic Belt is nowhere
in the Chamber of Magic. Either Ozma took it with her, or it has been
stolen. The Magic Picture has shown us that Dorothy is not wearing the
belt."
Disappointment was reflected on everyone's face, and for a moment no
one spoke. Then the Scarecrow declared, "My friends, there remains only
one more thing for us to do."
"What is that?" asked Cap'n Bill.
"One of us must leave immediately for Glinda's castle in the Quadling
Country to consult Glinda's Great Book of Records. The book will
provide us with a complete account of all that has happened to Dorothy
and the Wizard."
"A wise suggestion," agreed Cap'n Bill. "Who will go?"
"I will," volunteered Dorothy's Uncle Henry quickly. "I want to do
everything possible to bring Dorothy back to us and it 'pears to me we
can't do much of anything until we know what has happened to her."
"Good!" exclaimed the Scarecrow. "You can leave at once. I will order
Ozma's wooden Sawhorse to carry you to Glinda's Castle and back. But
even though the Sawhorse is swift and tireless, you will not be able
to make the journey, consult the Great Book of Records and return to
the Emerald City before Ozma and Glinda come back day after tomorrow.
That is too bad. The disappearance of Dorothy and the Wizard and all
this mystery will not provide a very cheerful homecoming for Ozma and
Glinda. But at least we shall have the information contained in the
Great Book of Records, and then Ozma and Glinda will know best what to
do."
Uncle Henry kissed Aunt Em good-bye and hurried to the Royal Stable
where the Sawhorse was waiting for him.
"I understand," said the queer steed, whose body and head were made
from a tree trunk, "that we're going to Glinda's castle in the Quadling
Country."
"That's right," nodded Uncle Henry. "And this is no pleasure trip, so
go as fast as you can."
Glancing at Uncle Henry for a moment from one of his eyes which were
knots in the wood, the Sawhorse turned, as soon as Uncle Henry was
mounted, and dashed down the stable driveway into the street leading
to the gates of the Emerald City. Once outside the city, the Sawhorse
ran so swiftly that its legs, which were merely sticks of wood which
Ozma had caused to be shod with gold, fairly twinkled. It sped with a
rolling, cradle-like motion over fields and hills, and Uncle Henry had
to hold on for dear life.
Perhaps I should explain that Glinda's Great Book of Records is a
marvelous book in which everything that happens, from the slightest
detail to the most important event taking place anywhere in the world,
is recorded the same instant that it happens. No occurrence is too
trivial to appear in the book. If a naughty child stamps its foot in
anger, or if a powerful ruler plunges his country into war, both
events are noted in the book, as of equal importance.
The huge book lies open on a great table, occupying the center of
Glinda's study and is bound to the table by large chains of gold. Next
to Ozma's Magic Picture, Glinda's Great Book of Records is the most
valuable treasure in Oz. The Scarecrow knew that by consulting this
wonderful book, Uncle Henry would be able to discover exactly what had
happened to Dorothy and the Wizard.
The Scarecrow and Scraps, having no need for sleep, sat before the
Magic Picture all night long conversing quietly and occasionally
glancing at the images of Dorothy and the Wizard as the picture showed
them sleeping in Hi-Lo's cottage.
The rest of the Oz people retired to their bedrooms, but none of them
slept well that night. They were far too worried over the plight of
Dorothy and the Wizard to rest easily.