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"Reminds me of a Kansas cyclone," murmured
Dorothy, pushing back her chair. But Ozma, though
only a little girl, was a real Queen and perhaps on
this account more used to examining everything with
extreme attention and care.
"This is no cloud," she told them, quietly remain-
ing in her place. "It is too large and solid." At this
precise minute, Waddy, wishing to come somewhere
near the castle itself, swung Umbrella Island back-
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ward, leaving the whole garden in bright sunlight,
and staring up with mingled feelings of interest and
alarm, Ozma and her advisers saw three figures
jump from the edge of the cloud and come billowing
grotesquely downward. Each grasped the handle of
an immense umbrella, and before Dorothy or the
Scarecrow had time to form any more theories or
opinions, the three, with three distinct thumps, land-
ed in a flower bed about thirty feet distant.
"Skywaymen!" shrieked the Soldier with the Green
Whiskers, bumping into a tree in his hurry to get
away. "Look out! Look out! They're armed!"
"But only with umbrellas," said Ozina, rising
quickly to her feet.
"They are fat and therefore jolly. Let us be calm,"
stuttered the Scarecrow. Nevertheless he picked up
a large serving fork and placed himself resolutely
in front of the two girls. By this time, Waddy, Siz-
zeroo and Bamboula - for of course it was these
three-came running breathlessly toward the group
around the breakfast table.
"Where are they?" puffed the Wizard, stumbling
over a gold flower urn in his haste. "Speedy, Gu-
reeda, Terrybubble?"
"What language is this?" gasped the Scarecrow,
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wrinkling up his cotton forehead. "Wait, I'll fetch
an interpreter. What country do you hie and fly
from, strangers? But wait, I'll fetch the interpreter."
"No need, no need for that," panted Waddy, put-
ting down his umbrella. "We speak the same lan-
guage as your own." In spite of his agitation the
Wizard made three stiff and correct bows, one each,
for Ozma, Dorothy and the Scarecrow. The King
and Bamboula, close behind him, also bowed.
"We are Umbrellians," announced Waddy, "and
yonder lies our island."
"And you, I presume, are the Umbrella Spokesman
of this flying delegation," observed the Scarecrow,
as Dorothy and Ozma politely acknowledged the
bows of the visitors.
"I am a Wizard," answered Waddy, fuming at all
this conversation and delay. "This is Sizzeroo, King
of Umbrella Island, and Bamboula, his Royal Su-
jester. But tell me, tell me quickly, have you seen
anything of a dinosaur, a little Princess and an
American boy named Speedy?"
"Why, is Speedy in Oz?" cried Dorothy, pressing
forward eagerly. "And a dinosaur! I didn't think
there were any live dinosaurs anywhere."
"He should be, he should be," quavered Sizzeroo.
"Only last evening he jumped off the Island with my
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daughter and our visitor."
"But how jocular," beamed the Scarecrow, twink-
ling his painted eyes. "How amusing and astonish-
ing and won't they all be pretty much smashed?"
"Oh, oh! Don't joke about it!" Sizzeroo, dropping
on a golden bench, covered his face with his hands,
and Pansy who had concealed herself in his pocket
came out and rubbed softly against his ear.
"Please do sit down, all of you," begged Ozma
kindly. She had at once noticed the distress and
anxiety of her callers or rather her fallers. "Could
you not tell us a little more about this whole matter?"
"Yes, and about yourselves," proposed the Scare-
crow, fascinated by the Watch Cat, and the braided
beards of the Umhrellians. Are you quite sure that
island will not come down on us like the top crust
of a pie?"
"Certainly not," declared the Wizard indignantly.
"It is held aloft by one of my most successful inven-
tions, and will not stir till I set the machinery in
motion. But this is no time for explanations. We
must have your help and assistance at once to find
Terrybubble, Gureeda and Speedy. You see-"
Heartened by the dignified reception and manner
of the little ruler of all Oz, Waddy poured out his
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whole strange story from the moment Umbrella
Island had hit Loxo in the forehead, omitting noth-
ing, not even the perfidious plan of Kachewka to
substitute Speedy for the Princess and hand him over
to the giant.
By the time he had finished, the faces of his lis-
teners were grave and serious, for Speedy was well
liked in the capital. The Soldier with Green Whiskers
plucked nervously at his beard, terrified lest the
monster so graphically described by Waddy should
rush suddenly out at him.
"The thing to do is to look in the Magic Mirror,"
decided the Scarecrow, as Waddy finished his sor-
rowful recital of happenings on Umbrella Island.
"Then we'll know just where this dinosaur landed."
We can settle the giant later."
Waddy said nothing to this, for he was fully re-
solved to handle Loxo himself, but he kept his own
counsel and lumbered after the Scarecrow, who was
awkwardly running toward the palace.
Ozma, Dorothy and the two other Umbrellians fol-
lowed as quickly as they could, Ozma explaining the
Magic Mirror as they hurried along. This mirror
disclosed, at a given command, the exact location
of any missing person or persons.
Hope lent speed to the sovereign of Umbrella [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]