Chapter Sixteen. The Enchanted Fishes

Glinda of Oz

by L. Frank Baum

I must now tell you what happened to Ervic and the three other
Skeezers who were left floating in the iron boat after Queen
Coo-ee-oh had been transformed into a Diamond Swan by the magic of
the Flathead Su-dic.

The four Skeezers were all young men and their leader was Ervic.
Coo-ee-oh had taken them with her in the boat to assist her if she
captured the Flathead chief, as she hoped to do by means of her
silver rope. They knew nothing about the witchcraft that moved the
submarine and so, when left floating upon the lake, were at a loss
what to do. The submarine could not be submerged by them or made to
return to the sunken island. There were neither oars nor sails in the
boat, which was not anchored but drifted quietly upon the surface of
the lake.

The Diamond Swan had no further thought or care for her people.
She had sailed over to the other side of the lake and all the calls
and pleadings of Ervic and his companions were unheeded by the vain
bird. As there was nothing else for them to do, they sat quietly in
their boat and waited as patiently as they could for someone to come
to their aid.

The Flatheads had refused to help them and had gone back to
their mountain. All the Skeezers were imprisoned in the Great Dome
and could not help even themselves. When evening came, they saw the
Diamond Swan, still keeping to the opposite shore of the lake, walk
out of the water to the sands, shake her diamond- sprinkled feathers,
and then disappear among the bushes to seek a resting place for the
night.

"I'm hungry," said Ervic.

"I'm cold," said another Skeezer.

"I'm tired," said a third.

"I'm afraid," said the last one of them.

But it did them no good to complain. Night fell and the moon
rose and cast a silvery sheen over the surface of the water.

"Go to sleep," said Ervic to his companions. "I'll stay awake
and watch, for we may be rescued in some unexpected way.

So the other three laid themselves down in the bottom of the
boat and were soon fast asleep.

Ervic watched. He rested himself by leaning over the bow of the
boat, his face near to the moonlit water, and thought dreamily of the
day's surprising events and wondered what would happen to the
prisoners in the Great Dome.

Suddenly a tiny goldfish popped its head above the surface of
the lake, not more than a foot from his eyes. A silverfish then
raised its head beside that of the goldfish, and a moment later a
bronzefish lifted its head beside the others. The three fish, all in
a row, looked earnestly with their round, bright eyes into the
astonished eyes of Ervic the Skeezer.

"We are the three Adepts whom Queen Coo-ee-oh betrayed and
wickedly transformed," said the goldfish, its voice low and soft but
distinctly heard in the stillness of the night.

"I know of our Queen's treacherous deed," replied Ervic, "and I
am sorry for your misfortune. Have you been in the lake ever
since?"

"Yes," was the reply.

"I -- I hope you are well -- and comfortable," stammered Ervic,
not knowing what else to say.

"We knew that some day Ooo-ee-oh would meet with the fate she so
richly deserves," declared the bronzefish. "We have waited and
watched for this time. Now if you will promise to help us and will be
faithful and true, you can aid us in regaining our natural forms, and
save yourself and all your people from the dangers that now threaten
you."

"Well," said Ervic, "you can depend on my doing the best I can.
But I'm no witch, nor magician, you must know."

"All we ask is that you obey our instructions," returned the
silverfish. "We know that you are honest and that you served
Coo-ee-oh only because you were obliged to in order to escape her
anger. Do as we command and all will be well."

"I promise!" exclaimed the young man. "Tell me what I am to do
first."

"You will find in the bottom of your boat the silver cord which
dropped from Coo-ee-oh's hand when she was transformed," said the
goldfish. "Tie one end of that cord to the bow of your boat and drop
the other end to us in the water. Together we will pull your boat to
the shore."

Ervic much doubted that the three small fishes could move so
heavy a boat, but he did as he was told and the fishes all seized
their end of the silver cord in their mouths and headed toward the
nearest shore, which was the very place where the Flatheads had stood
when they conquered Queen Coo-ee-oh.

At first the boat did not move at all, although the fishes
pulled with all their strength. But presently the strain began to
tell. Very slowly the boat crept toward the shore, gaining more speed
at every moment. A couple of yards away from the sandy beach the
fishes dropped the cord from their mouths and swam to one side, while
the iron boat, being now under way, continued to move until its prow
grated upon the sands.

Ervic leaned over the side and said to the fishes: "What
next?"

"You will find upon the sand," said the silverfish, "a copper
kettle, which the Su-dic forgot when he went away. Cleanse it
thoroughly in the water of the lake, for it has had poison in it.
When it is cleaned, fill it with fresh water and hold it over the
side of the boat, so that we three may swim into the kettle. We will
then instruct you further."

"Do you wish me to catch you, then?" asked Ervic in surprise.

"Yes," was the reply.

So Ervic jumped out of the boat and found the copper kettle.
Carrying it a little way down the beach, he washed it well, scrubbing
away every drop of the poison it had contained with sand from the
shore

Then he went back to the boat.

Ervic's comrades were still sound asleep and knew nothing of the
three fishes or what strange happenings were taking place about them.
Ervic dipped the kettle in the lake, holding fast to the handle until
it was under water. The gold and silver and bronze fishes promptly
swam into the kettle. The young Skeezer then lifted it, poured out a
little of the water so it would not spill over the edge, and said to
the fishes: "What next?"

"Carry the kettle to the shore. Take one hundred steps to the
east, along the edge of the lake, and then you will see a path
leading through the meadows, up hill and down dale. Follow the path
until you come to a cottage which is painted a purple color with
white trimmings. When you stop at the gate of this cottage we will
tell you what to do next. Be careful, above all, not to stumble and
spill the water from the kettle, or you would destroy us and all you
have done would be in vain."

The goldfish issued these commands and Ervic promised to be
careful and started to obey. He left his sleeping comrades in the
boat, stepping cautiously over their bodies, and on reaching the
shore took exactly one hundred steps to the east. Then he looked for
the path and the moonlight was so bright that he easily discovered
it, although it was hidden from view by tall weeds until one came
full upon it. This path was very narrow and did not seem to be much
used, but it was quite distinct and Ervic had no difficulty in
following it. He walked through a broad meadow, covered with tall
grass and weeds, up a hill and down into a valley and then up another
hill and down again.

It seemed to Ervic that he had walked miles and miles. Indeed
the moon sank low and day was beginning to dawn when finally he
discovered by the roadside a pretty little cottage, painted purple
with white trimmings. It was a lonely place -- no other buildings
were anywhere about and the ground was not tilled at all. No farmer
lived here, that was certain. Who would care to dwell in such an
isolated place?

But Ervic did not bother his head long with such questions. He
went up to the gate that led to the cottage, set the copper kettle
carefully down and bending over it asked:

"What next?"