第 二十二 章 · The Sunken Island

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Chapter 22. The Sunken Island

As soon as they had breakfasted the next morning, Glinda and the Wizard

and the three Adepts went down to the shore of the lake and formed a

line with their faces toward the submerged island. All the others came

to watch them, but stood at a respectful distance in the background.

At the right of the Sorceress stood Audah and Aurah, while at the left

stood the Wizard and Aujah. Together they stretched their arms over the

water's edge and in unison the five chanted a rhythmic incantation.

This chant they repeated again and again, swaying their arms gently

from side to side, and in a few minutes the watchers behind them

noticed that the lake had begun to recede from the shore. Before long

the highest point of the dome appeared above the water. Gradually the

water fell, making the dome appear to rise. When it was three or four

feet above the surface Glinda gave the signal to stop, for their work

had been accomplished.

The blackened submarine was now entirely out of water, but Uncle Henry

and Cap'n Bill managed to push it into the lake. Glinda, the Wizard,

Ervic and the Adepts got into the boat, taking with them a coil of

strong rope, and at the command of the Sorceress the craft cleaved its

way through the water toward the part of the Dome which was now visible.

"There's still plenty of water for the fish to swim in," observed the

Wizard as they rode along. "They might like more but I'm sure they can

get along until we have raised the island and can fill up the lake

again."

The boat touched gently on the sloping glass of the Dome, and the

Wizard took some tools from his black bag and quickly removed one large

pane of glass, thus making a hole large enough for their bodies to pass

through. Stout frames of steel supported the glass of the Dome, and

around one of these frames the Wizard tied the end of a rope.

"I'll go down first," said he, "for while I'm not as spry as Cap'n Bill

I'm sure I can manage it easily. Are you sure the rope is long enough

to reach the bottom?"

"Quite sure," replied the Sorceress.

So the Wizard let down the rope and climbing through the opening

lowered himself down, hand over hand, clinging to the rope with his

legs and feet. Below in the streets of the village were gathered all

the Skeezers, men, women and children, and you may be sure that Ozma

and Dorothy, with Lady Aurex, were filled with joy that their friends

were at last coming to their rescue.

The Queen's palace, now occupied by Ozma, was directly in the center of

the Dome, so that when the rope was let down the end of it came just in

front of the palace entrance. Several Skeezers held fast to the rope's

end to steady it and the Wizard reached the ground in safety. He hugged

first Ozma and then Dorothy, while all the Skeezers cheered as loud as

they could.

The Wizard now discovered that the rope was long enough to reach from

the top of the Dome to the ground when doubled, so he tied a chair to

one end of the rope and called to Glinda to sit in the chair while he

and some of the Skeezers lowered her to the pavement. In this way the

Sorceress reached the ground quite comfortably and the three Adepts and

Ervic soon followed her.

The Skeezers quickly recognized the three Adepts at Magic, whom they

had learned to respect before their wicked Queen betrayed them, and

welcomed them as friends. All the inhabitants of the village had been

greatly frightened by their imprisonment under water, but now realized

that an attempt was to be made to rescue them.

Glinda, the Wizard and the Adepts followed Ozma and Dorothy into the

palace, and they asked Lady Aurex and Ervic to join them. After Ozma

had told of her adventures in trying to prevent war between the

Flatheads and the Skeezers, and Glinda had told all about the Rescue

Expedition and the restoration of the three Adepts by the help of

Ervic, a serious consultation was held as to how the island could be

made to rise.

"I've tried every way in my power," said Ozma, "but Coo-ee-oh used a

very unusual sort of magic which I do not understand. She seems to have

prepared her witchcraft in such a way that a spoken word is necessary

to accomplish her designs, and these spoken words are known only to

herself."

"That is a method we taught her," declared Aurah the Adept.

"I can do no more, Glinda," continued Ozma, "so I wish you would try

what your sorcery can accomplish."

"First, then," said Glinda, "let us visit the basement of the island,

which I am told is underneath the village."

A flight of marble stairs led from one of Coo-ee-oh's private rooms

down to the basement, but when the party arrived all were puzzled by

what they saw. In the center of a broad, low room, stood a mass of

great cog-wheels, chains and pulleys, all interlocked and seeming to

form a huge machine; but there was no engine or other motive power to

make the wheels turn.

"This, I suppose, is the means by which the island is lowered or

raised," said Ozma, "but the magic word which is needed to move the

machinery is unknown to us."

The three Adepts were carefully examining the mass of wheels, and soon

the golden-haired one said:

"These wheels do not control the island at all. On the contrary, one

set of them is used to open the doors of the little rooms where the

submarines are kept, as may be seen from the chains and pulleys used.

Each boat is kept in a little room with two doors, one to the basement

room where we are now and the other letting into the lake.

"When Coo-ee-oh used the boat in which she attacked the Flatheads, she

first commanded the basement door to open and with her followers she

got into the boat and made the top close over them. Then the basement

door being closed, the outer door was slowly opened, letting the water

fill the room to float the boat, which then left the island, keeping

under water."

"But how could she expect to get back again?" asked the Wizard.

"Why the boat would enter the room filled with water and after the

outer door was closed a word of command started a pump which pumped all

the water from the room. Then the boat would open and Coo-ee-oh could

enter the basement."

"I see," said the Wizard. "It is a clever contrivance, but won't work

unless one knows