Ozma Uses the Magic Belt
Omby Amby had returned to his post at the Gates of the Emerald City and
Ozma and the Shaggy Man had retired to the Chamber of Magic. Here were
kept many of the most valuable magical instruments in all the Land of
Oz.
"There is only one thing to be done," the Shaggy Man was saying. "I
must take the broken Love Magnet to this Conjo and ask him to repair
it."
"I am not sure at all that Conjo will agree to repair the Love Magnet
for you," Ozma replied with a troubled expression. "You see, we know
very little about this Conjo. He lives alone on this tiny island in the
middle of the Nonestic Ocean and practices magic. There is no record of
his actually misusing his magical powers. Nor, so far as we know, has
he caused trouble for anyone. However, we have reason to believe he is
rather selfish and thoughtless and that he might cause harm, without
really meaning to, just to satisfy his vanity. Also, it might not suit
his whim to mend the Love Magnet."
"What is the name of the island on which Conjo lives?" asked the Shaggy
Man musingly.
"It is called the Isle of Conjo, and since it is many miles from the
Land of Oz, I have no power over the Wizard at all. In fact," concluded
Ozma, "that is the reason we here in the Land of Oz know so little
about Conjo."
"Nevertheless," maintained the Shaggy Man, "I think I should go as soon
as possible to this island and do everything I can to persuade Conjo to
make the Love Magnet whole."
"Even after you crossed the Deadly Desert, you would have several
days' journey through the Land of Ev, and then you would only be on the
shores of the Nonestic Ocean. So, I think it would be best, since you
are determined to make the journey, for me to use the Magic Belt to
transport you directly to the Isle of Conjo."
The Shaggy Man willingly agreed to this plan, stating that he was ready
to leave at once.
"First," said Ozma, "let us have a look at the Isle of Conjo in the
Magic Picture."
The girl Ruler swept aside the velvet curtain that hung over the Magic
Picture when it was not in use. The picture appeared to be a peaceful,
country farmland scene with purple hills rising in the distance. "Show
us the Isle of Conjo in the Nonestic Ocean," said Ozma.
Immediately the picture shifted and changed. It now reflected a gently
rolling meadowland with a great castle in the distance. Approaching
the castle were a young girl and a boy, accompanied by the figure of a
little wooden clown.
Ozma gasped in surprise. "Those are human children, Shaggy Man! What
can they be doing there when my Magic Record Books state that Conjo
is the only human being on the island? We can see that the clown
accompanying them is a puppet, evidently brought to life by Conjo."
"Perhaps they are lost," ventured the Shaggy Man.
"But how would they get to the island? It is surrounded by miles and
miles of ocean."
"I don't know," admitted the Shaggy Man, "but it is one more good
reason for me to go there as quickly as possible--those children may be
in need of help."
"I agree with you," said Ozma quickly. "You must find out what the
children are doing on the island and see that they are returned to
their homes. If you cannot do that, then you must bring them with you
to the Land of Oz."
"Will you use the Magic Belt to transport us back to the Land of Oz?"
asked the Shaggy Man.
"That will be impossible," stated Ozma, "since I must leave this
afternoon to visit Glinda the Good. We are working on some extremely
important magic charms in which the powers of the Magic Belt are
needed. I am not sure how long I will be gone--perhaps for several
weeks.
"However," Ozma went on, as she stepped to a heavy wooden chest, opened
one of its drawers, and withdrew a small object, "I want you to take
this with you. It will enable you to return to the Land of Oz anytime
you wish."
"What is it?" asked the Shaggy Man curiously.
"It is a Magic Compass," explained Ozma. "You will notice that it
is not round in shape like ordinary compasses, but is formed like a
rectangle, as is the Land of Oz."
Shaggy looked at the Magic Compass and found that instead of being
marked, North, South, East, and West as is the usual compass, it bore
the words, Gillikin, Quadling, Winkie, and Munchkin, which are the
four countries making up the Land of Oz.
"Should you wish to return to any one of the four countries," Ozma
went on, "just set the compass needle to the one to which you wish to
journey. If you want to come directly to the Emerald City, you have
only to spin the needle of the compass, and you will be here as quickly
as the Magic Belt could bring you."
The Shaggy Man inspected the Magic Compass more closely and found that
the pivot on which the needle rested, rose from a spot of green in the
very center of the compass. This green spot, he knew, represented the
Emerald City.
"But what about the children?" the Shaggy Man asked. "If I can find no
way to send them home, I cannot simply leave them on the island."
"Of course not," replied Ozma. "If you think it necessary to bring them
to Oz with you, just have them put their arms in yours; then spin the
compass needle, and all three of you will be transported to the Emerald
City."
The Shaggy Man placed the Magic Compass carefully in his pocket and
said: "Perhaps it would be well for me to be on my way. There's no
telling what will happen on that island and those two children may
need help."
Ozma slipped on the Magic Belt. "Goodbye, dear friend," she said,
smiling fondly at the Shaggy Man. "Return as quickly as you can." Then
she made the magic signal, and the Shaggy Man was no longer in the
Chamber of Magic.