Queen Coo-ee-oh
Princess Ozma considered the situation gravely. Then she tied her
handkerchief to her wand and, standing at the water's edge, waved the
handkerchief like a flag, as a signal. For a time they could observe
no response.
"I don't see what good that will do," said Dorothy. "Even if the
Skeezers are on that island and see us, and know we're friends, they
haven't any boats to come and get us."
But the Skeezers didn't need boats, as the girls soon discovered. For
on a sudden an opening appeared at the base of the palace and from the
opening came a slender shaft of steel, reaching out slowly but
steadily across the water in the direction of the place where they
stood. To the girls this steel arrangement looked like a triangle,
with the base nearest the water. It came toward them in the form of an
arch, stretching out from the palace wall until its end reached the
bank and rested there, while the other end still remained on the
island.
Then they saw that it was a bridge, consisting of a steel footway just
broad enough to walk on, and two slender guide rails, one on either
side, which were connected with the footway by steel bars. The bridge
looked rather frail and Dorothy feared it would not bear their weight,
but Ozma at once called, "Come on!" and started to walk across,
holding fast to the rail on either side. So Dorothy summoned her
courage and followed after. Before Ozma had taken three steps she
halted and so forced Dorothy to halt, for the bridge was again moving
and returning to the island.
"We need not walk after all," said Ozma. So they stood still in their
places and let the steel bridge draw them onward. Indeed, the bridge
drew them well into the glass-domed building which covered the island,
and soon they found themselves standing in a marble room where two
handsomely dressed young men stood on a platform to receive them.
Ozma at once stepped from the end of the bridge to the marble
platform, followed by Dorothy, and then the bridge disappeared with a
slight clang of steel and a marble slab covered the opening from which
it had emerged.
The two young men bowed profoundly to Ozma, and one of them said:
"Queen Coo-ee-oh bids you welcome, O Strangers. Her Majesty is waiting
to receive you in her palace."
"Lead on," replied Ozma with dignity.
But instead of "leading on," the platform of marble began to rise,
carrying them upward through a square hole above which just fitted it.
A moment later they found themselves within the great glass dome that
covered almost all of the island.
Within this dome was a little village, with houses, streets, gardens
and parks. The houses were of colored marbles, prettily designed, with
many stained-glass windows, and the streets and gardens seemed well
cared for. Exactly under the center of the lofty dome was a small park
filled with brilliant flowers, with an elaborate fountain, and facing
this park stood a building larger and more imposing than the others.
Toward this building the young men escorted Ozma and Dorothy.
On the streets and in the doorways or open windows of the houses were
men, women and children, all richly dressed. These were much like
other people in different parts of the Land of Oz, except that instead
of seeming merry and contented they all wore expressions of much
solemnity or of nervous irritation. They had beautiful homes, splendid
clothes, and ample food, but Dorothy at once decided something was
wrong with their lives and that they were not happy. She said nothing,
however, but looked curiously at the Skeezers.
At the entrance of the palace Ozma and Dorothy were met by two other
young men, in uniform and armed with queer weapons that seemed about
halfway between pistols and guns, but were like neither. Their
conductors bowed and left them, and the two in uniforms led the girls
into the palace.
In a beautiful throne room, surrounded by a dozen or more young men
and women, sat the Queen of the Skeezers, Coo-ee-oh. She was a girl
who looked older than Ozma or Dorothy--fifteen or sixteen, at
least--and although she was elaborately dressed as if she were going
to a ball she was too thin and plain of feature to be pretty. But
evidently Queen Coo-ee-oh did not realize this fact, for her air and
manner betrayed her as proud and haughty and with a high regard for
her own importance. Dorothy at once decided she was "snippy" and that
she would not like Queen Coo-ee-oh as a companion.
The Queen's hair was as black as her skin was white and her eyes were
black, too. The eyes, as she calmly examined Ozma and Dorothy, had a
suspicious and unfriendly look in them, but she said quietly:
"I know who you are, for I have consulted my Magic Oracle, which told
me that one calls herself Princess Ozma, the Ruler of all the Land of
Oz, and the other is Princess Dorothy of Oz, who came from a country
called Kansas. I know nothing of the Land of Oz, and I know nothing of
Kansas."
"Why, _this_ is the Land of Oz!" cried Dorothy. "It's a _part_ of the
Land of Oz, anyhow, whether you know it or not."
"Oh, in-deed!" answered Queen Coo-ee-oh, scornfully. "I suppose you
will claim next that this Princess Ozma, ruling the Land of Oz, rules
me!"
"Of course," returned Dorothy. "There's no doubt of it."
The Queen turned to Ozma.
"Do you dare make such a claim?" she asked.
By this time Ozma had made up her mind as to the character of this
haughty and disdainful creature, whose self-pride evidently led her
to believe herself superior to all others.
"I did not come here to quarrel with your Majesty," said the girl
Ruler of Oz, quietly. "What and who I am is well established, and my
authority comes from the Fairy Queen Lurline, of whose band I was a
member when Lurline made all Oz a Fairyland. There are several
countries and several different peoples in this broad land, each of
which has its separate rulers, Kings, Emperors and Queens. But all
these render obedience to my laws and acknowledge me as the supreme
Ruler."
"If other Kings and Queens are fools that does not interest me in the
least," replied Coo-ee-oh, disdainfully. "In the Land of the Skeezers
I alone am supreme. You are impudent to think I would defer to you--or
to anyone else."
"Let us not speak of this now, please," answered Ozma. "Your island is
in danger, for a powerful foe is preparing to destroy it."
"Pah! The Flatheads. I do not fear them."
"Their Supreme Dictator is a Sorcerer."
"My magic is greater than his. Let the Flatheads come! They will never
return to their barren mountain-top. I will see to that."
Ozma did not like this attitude, for it meant that the Skeezers were
eager to fight the Flatheads, and Ozma's object in coming here was to
prevent fighting and induce the two quarrelsome neighbors to make
peace. She was also greatly disappointed in Coo-ee-oh, for the reports
of Su-dic had led her to imagine the Queen more just and honorable
than were the Flatheads. Indeed Ozma reflected that the girl might be
better at heart than her self-pride and overbearing manner indicated,
and in any event it would be wise not to antagonize her but to try to
win her friendship.
"I do not like wars, your Majesty," said Ozma. "In the Emerald City,
where I rule thousands of people, and in the countries near to the
Emerald City, where thousands more acknowledge my rule, there is no
army at all, because there is no quarreling and no need to fight. If
differences arise between my people, they come to me and I judge the
cases and award justice to all. So, when I learned there might be war
between two faraway people of Oz, I came here to settle the dispute
and adjust the quarrel."
"No one asked you to come," declared Queen Coo-ee-oh. "It is _my_
business to settle this dispute, not yours. You say my island is a
part of the Land of Oz, which you rule, but that is all nonsense, for
I've never heard of the Land of Oz, nor of you. You say you are a
fairy, and that fairies gave you command over me. I don't believe it!
What I _do_ believe is that you are an impostor and have come here to
stir up trouble among my people, who are already becoming difficult to
manage. You two girls may even be spies of the vile Flatheads, for all
I know, and may be trying to trick me. But understand this," she
added, proudly rising from her jeweled throne to confront them, "I
have magic powers greater than any fairy possesses, and greater than
any Flathead possesses. I am a Krumbic Witch--the only Krumbic Witch
in the world--and I fear the magic of no other creature that exists!
You say you rule thousands. I rule one hundred and one Skeezers. But
every one of them trembles at my word. Now that Ozma of Oz and
Princess Dorothy are here, I shall rule one hundred and three
subjects, for you also shall bow before my power. More than that, in
ruling you I also rule the thousands you say you rule."
Dorothy was very indignant at this speech.
"I've got a pink kitten that sometimes talks like that," she said,
"but after I give her a good whipping she doesn't think she's so high
and mighty after all. If you only knew who Ozma is you'd be scared to
death to talk to her like that!"
Queen Coo-ee-oh gave the girl a supercilious look. Then she turned
again to Ozma.
"I happen to know," said she, "that the Flatheads intend to attack us
tomorrow, but we are ready for them. Until the battle is over, I shall
keep you two strangers prisoners on my island, from which there is no
chance for you to escape."
She turned and looked around the band of courtiers who stood silently
around her throne.
"Lady Aurex," she continued, singling out one of the young women,
"take these children to your house and care for them, giving them food
and lodging. You may allow them to wander anywhere under the Great
Dome, for they are harmless. After I have attended to the Flatheads I
will consider what next to do with these foolish girls."
She resumed her seat and the Lady Aurex bowed low and said in a humble
manner:
"I obey your Majesty's commands." Then to Ozma and Dorothy she added,
"Follow me," and turned to leave the throne room.
Dorothy looked to see what Ozma would do. To her surprise and a
little to her disappointment Ozma turned and followed Lady Aurex. So
Dorothy trailed after them, but not without giving a parting, haughty
look toward Queen Coo-ee-oh, who had her face turned the other way and
did not see the disapproving look.