CHAPTER 20
DOROTHY UPSETS THE CEREMONY OF THE ISLAND
"A caravan!" whistled the Comfortable Camel, lurching to his feet."How nice!"
"I doubt that!" The dromedary's eyes flew open, and he staredsleepily at the magnificent procession of Silver Islanders.
First came the musicians, playing their shining silver trumpets andflutes. The Grand Chew Chew and General Mugwump followed, attired inbrilliant silk robes of state. Then came the three Princes,glittering with jeweled chains and medals, and the fifteen littlePrinces, like so many silver butterflies in their satin kimonas. Nextappeared a palanquin bearing the veiled Princess Orange Blossom,followed by a whole company of splendid courtiers and after them asmany of the everyday Silver Islanders as the hall would hold. Therewas a moment of silence. Then the whole assemblage, contrary to theScarecrow's edict, fell upon their faces.
"My!" exclaimed Dorothy, impressed in spite of herself. "Are you sureyou want to give up all this?"
"Great Emperor, beautiful as the sun, wise as the stars, and radiantas the clouds, the Ceremony of Restoration is about to begin!"quavered the Grand Chew Chew, rising slowly. Then he paused, for hewas suddenly confused by the strange company around the Scarecrow'sthrone.
"Treachery!" hissed the eldest Prince to the others. "We left himtied to the bean pole. Ancient Papa Scarecrow needs watching! Who arethese curious objects he has gathered about him, pray?"
Now by some magic which even I cannot explain, the people from Ozfound they could understand all that was being said. When Dorothyheard herself called an object and saw the wicked faces of the threePrinces and the stupid little grandsons, she no longer wondered atthe Scarecrow's decision.
The Scarecrow himself bowed calmly. "First," said he cheerfully, "letme introduce my friends and visitors from Oz."
The Silver Islanders, who really loved the Scarecrow, bowed politelyas he called out the names of Dorothy and the others. But the threeSilver Princes scowled and whispered indignantly among themselves.
"I am growing very wroth!" choked Sir Hokus to the Cowardly Lion.
"Let the ceremony proceed!" called the eldest Prince harshly, beforethe Scarecrow had finished his introductions. "Let the proper body ofhis Serene Highness be immediately restored. Way for the GrandGheewizard! Way for the Grand Gheewizard!"
"One moment," put in the Scarecrow in a dignified voice. "I havesomething to say." The Silver Islanders clapped loudly at this, andDorothy felt a bit reassured. Perhaps they would listen to reasonafter all and let the Scarecrow depart peacefully. How they were everto escape if they didn't, the little girl could not see.
"My dear children," began the Scarecrow in his jolly voice, "nothingcould have been more wonderful than my return to this lovely island,but in the years I have been away from you I have changed very much,and I find I no longer care for being Emperor. So with your kindpermission, I will keep the excellent body I now have and willabdicate in favor of my eldest son and return with my friends to Oz.For in Oz I really belong."
A dead silence followed the Scarecrow's speech--then perfectpandemonium.
"No! No! You are a good Emperor! We will not let you go!" shriekedthe people. "You are our honorable little Father. The Prince shall beEmperor after you have peacefully returned to your ancestors, but notnow. No! No! We will not have it!"
"I feared this!" quavered Happy Toko.
"It is not the Emperor, but the Scarecrow who speaks!" shrilled theGrand Chew Chew craftily. "He knows not what he says. But after thetransformation--Ah, you shall see!"
The company calmed down at this. "Let the ceremony proceed! Way forthe Grand Gheewizard!" they cried exultantly.
"Chew Chew," wailed the Scarecrow, "you're off the track!" But it wastoo late. No one would listen.
"I'll have to think of something else," muttered the Scarecrow,sinking dejectedly back on his throne.
"Oh!" shuddered Dorothy, clutching the Scarecrow, "Here he comes!"
"Way for the Grand Gheewizard! Way for the Grand Gheewizard!"
The crowd parted. Hobbling toward the throne came the ugly littleGheewizard of the Silver Island holding a large silver vase highabove his head, and after him--!
When Sir Hokus caught a glimpse of what came after, he leaped cleanover the Comfortable Camel.
"Uds daggers!" roared the Knight. "_At last!"_He rushed forward violently. There was a sharp thrust of his goodsword, then an explosion like twenty giant firecrackers in one,and the room became quite black with smoke. Before anyonerealized what had happened, Sir Hokus was back, draggingsomething after him and shouting exuberantly, "A dragon! I haveslain a dragon! What happiness!"
Everyone was coughing and spluttering from the smoke, but as itcleared Dorothy saw that it was indeed a dragon Sir Hokus had slain,the rheumatic dragon of the old Gheewizard himself.
"Why didn't you get the wizard?" rumbled the Cowardly Lion angrily.
"Must have exploded," said the Comfortable Camel, sniffing the skindaintily.
"Treason!" yelled the three Princes, while the Grand Gheewizard flunghimself on the stone floor and began tearing strand after strand fromhis silver pigtail.
"He has killed the little joy of my hearth!" screeched the old man."I will turn him to a cat, a miserable yellow cat, and roast him fordinner!"
"Oh!" cried Dorothy, looking at Sir Hokus sorrowfully. "How couldyou?"
The slaying of the dragon had thrown the whole hall into utmostconfusion. Sir Hokus turned a little pale under his armor, but facedthe angry mob without flinching.
"Oh, my dear Karwan Bashi, this is so uncomfortable!" wheezed thecamel, glancing back of him with frightened eyes.
"There's a shiny dagger in my left-hand saddlesack. I doubt very muchwhether they would like it," coughed the Doubtful Dromedary, pressingclose to the Knight.
"On with the ceremony!" cried the eldest Prince, seeing that theexcitement was giving the Scarecrow's friends too much time to think."The son of an iron pot shall be punished later!"
"That's right!" cried a voice from the crowd. "Let the Emperor berestored!"
"I guess it's all over," gulped the Scarecrow. "Give my love to Ozmaand tell her I tried to come back."
In helpless terror, the little company watched the Gheewizardapproach. One could fight real enemies, but _magic!_ Even Sir Hokus,brave as he was, felt that nothing could be done.
"One move and you shall be so many prunes," shrilled the angry oldman, fixing the people from Oz with his wicked little eyes. The greatroom was so still you could have heard a pin drop. Even the DoubtfulDromedary had not the heart to doubt the wizard's power, but stoodrigid as a statue.
The wizard advanced slowly, holding the sealed vase carefully overhis head. The poor Scarecrow regarded it with gloomy fascination. Onemore moment and he would be an old, old Silverman. Better to be lostforever! He held convulsively to Dorothy.
As for Dorothy herself, she was trembling with fright and grief. Whenthe Grand Gheewizard raised the vase higher and higher and made readyto hurl it at the Scarecrow, disregarding his dire threat she gave ashrill scream and threw up both hands.
"Great grandmothers!" gasped the Scarecrow, jumping to his feet. AsDorothy had thrown up her arms, the little parasol swinging at herwrist had jerked open. Up, up, up, and out through the brokenskylight in the roof sailed the little Princess of Oz!
The Grand Gheewizard, startled as anyone, failed to throw the vase.Every neck was craned upward, and everyone was gasping withastonishment.
The oldest Prince, as usual, was the first to recover. "Don't standstaring like an idiot! Now's your chance!" he hissed angrily in theGheewizard's ear.
"I didn't come here to be harried and hurried by foreigners," sobbedthe little man. "How is one to work magic when interrupted everyother minute? I want my little dragon."
"Oh, come on now, just throw it. I'll get you another dragon," beggedthe Prince, his hands trembling with excitement.
In the face of this new disaster, the Scarecrow had forgotten
allabout the Gheewizard. He and the Cowardly Lion and Sir Hokus wererunning distractedly around the great throne trying to think up a wayto rescue Dorothy. As for the Doubtful Dromedary, he was doubtingeverything in a loud, bitter voice, while the Comfortable Camelfairly snorted with sorrow.
"There! Now's your chance," whispered the Prince. The Scarecrow, withhis back to the crowd, was gesturing frantically.
Taking a firm hold on the neck of the vase and with a longincantation which there is no use at all in repeating, the Gheewizardflung the bottle straight at the Scarecrow's head. But scarcely hadit left his hand before there was a flash and a flutter and down cameDorothy and the magic parasol right on top of the vase.
Zip! The vase flew in quite another direction, and next minute hadburst over the luckless heads of the three plotting Princes, whileDorothy floated gently to earth.
Sir Hokus embraced the Scarecrow, and the Scarecrow hugged theCowardly Lion, and I don't wonder at all. For no sooner had the magicelixir touched the Princes, than two of them became silver pigs andthe eldest a weasel. They had been turned to their true shapesinstead of the Scarecrow. And while the company hopped about inalarm, they ran squealing from the hall and disappeared in thegardens.
"Seize the Gheewizard and take him to his cave," ordered theScarecrow, asserting his authority for the first time since theproceedings has started. He had noticed the old man making queersigns and passes toward Sir Hokus. A dozen took hold of thestruggling Gheewizard and hurried him out of the hall.
Sir Hokus, at the request of the Scarecrow, clapped his irongauntlets for silence.
"You will agree with me, I'm sure," said the Scarecrow in a slightlyunsteady voice, "that magic is a serious matter to meddle with. Ifyou will all return quietly to your homes, I will try to find a wayout of our difficulties."
The Silver Islanders listened respectfully and after a little arguingamong themselves backed out of the throne room. To tell the truth,they were anxious to spread abroad the tale of the morning'shappenings.
Princess Orange Blossom, however, refused to depart. Magic or nomagic, she had come to marry the Emperor, and she would not leavetill the ceremony had been performed.
"But my dear old Lady, would you wish to marry a Scarecrow?" coaxedthe Emperor.
"All men are Scarecrows," snapped the Princess sourly.
"Then why marry at all?" rumbled the Cowardly Lion, making a playfulleap at her palanquin. This was too much. The Princess swooned on thespot, and the Scarecrow, taking advantage of her unconsciouscondition, ordered her chair bearers to carry her away as far and asfast as they could run.
"Now," said the Scarecrow when the last of the company haddisappeared, "let us talk this over."