Chapter Twenty-Four. Glinda's Triumph

Glinda of Oz

by L. Frank Baum

Of course all those who had joined Glinda's expedition at once
crossed the bridge to the island, where they were warmly welcomed by
the Skeezers. Before all the concourse of people Princess Ozma made a
speech from a porch of the palace and demanded that they recognize
her as their lawful Ruler and promise to obey the laws of the Land of
Oz. In return she agreed to protect them from all future harm and
declared they would no longer be subjected to cruelty and abuse.

This pleased the Skeezers greatly, and when Ozma told them they
might elect a Queen to rule over them, who in turn would be subject
to Ozma of Oz, they voted for Lady Aurex, and that same day the
ceremony of crowning the new Queen was held and Aurex was installed
as mistress of the palace.

For her Prime Minister the Queen selected Ervic, for the three
Adepts had told of his good judgment, faithfulness and cleverness,
and all the Skeezers approved the appointment.

Glinda, the Wizard and the Adepts stood on the bridge and
recited an incantation that quite filled the lake with water again,
and the Scarecrow and the Patchwork Girl climbed to the top of the
Great Dome and replaced the pane of glass that had been removed to
allow Glinda and her followers to enter.

When evening came Ozma ordered a great feast prepared, to which
every Skeezer was invited. The village was beautifully decorated and
brilliantly lighted and there was music and dancing until a late hour
to celebrate the liberation of the people. For the Skeezers had been
freed, not only from the water of the lake but from the cruelty of
their former Queen.

As the people from the Emerald City prepared the next morning to
depart Queen Aurex said to Ozma:

"There is only one thing I now fear for my people, and that is
the enmity of the terrible Su-dic of the Flatheads. He is liable to
come here at any time and try to annoy us, and my Skeezers are
peaceful folks and unable to fight the wild and wilful Flatheads."

"Do not worry," returned Ozma, reassuringly. "We intend to stop
on our way at the Flatheads' Enchanted Mountain and punish the Su-dic
for his misdeeds."

That satisfied Aurex and when Ozma and her followers trooped
over the bridge to the shore, having taken leave of their friends,
all the Skeezers cheered them and waved their hats and handkerchiefs,
and the band played and the departure was indeed a ceremony long to
be remembered.

The three Adepts at Magic, who had formerly ruled the Flatheads
wisely and considerately, went with Princess Ozma and her people, for
they had promised Ozma to stay on the mountain and again see that the
laws were enforced.

Glinda had been told all about the curious Flatheads and she had
consulted with the Wizard and formed a plan to render them more
intelligent and agreeable.

When the party reached the mountain Ozma and Dorothy showed them
how to pass around the invisible wall -- which had been built by the
Flatheads after the Adepts were transformed -- and how to gain the
up-and-down stairway that led to the mountain top.

The Su-dic had watched the approach of the party from the edge
of the mountain and was frightened when he saw that the three Adepts
had recovered their natural forms and were coming back to their
former home. He realized that his power would soon be gone and yet he
determined to fight to the last. He called all the Flatheads together
and armed them, and told them to arrest all who came up the stairway
and hurl them over the edge of the mountain to the plain below. But
although they feared the Supreme Dictator, who had threatened to
punish them if they did not obey his commands, as soon as they saw
the three Adepts they threw down their arms and begged their former
rulers to protect them.

The three Adepts assured the excited Flatheads that they had
nothing to fear.

Seeing that his people had rebelled the Su-dic ran away and
tried to hide, but the Adepts found him and had him cast into a
prison, all his cans of brains being taken away from him.

After this easy conquest of the Su-dic, Glinda told the Adepts
of her plan, which had already been approved by Ozma of Oz, and they
joyfully agreed to it. So, during the next few days, the great
Sorceress transformed, in a way, every Flathead on the mountain.

Taking them one at a time, she had the can of brains that
belonged to each one opened and the contents spread on the flat head,
after which, by means of her arts of sorcery, she caused the head to
grow over the brains -- in the manner most people wear them -- and
they were thus rendered as intelligent and good looking as any of the
other inhabitants of the Land of Oz.

When all had been treated in this manner there were no more
Flatheads at all, and the Adepts decided to name their people
Mountaineers. One good result of Glinda's sorcery was that no one
could now be deprived of the brains that belonged to him and each
person had exactly the share he was entitled to.

Even the Su-dic was given his portion of brains and his flat
head made round, like the others, but he was deprived of all power to
work further mischief, and with the Adepts constantly watching him he
would be forced to become obedient and humble.

The Golden Pig, which ran grunting about the streets, with no
brains at all, was disenchanted by Glinda, and in her woman's form
was given brains and a round head. This wife of the Su-dic had once
been even more wicked than her evil husband, but she had now
forgotten all her wickedness and was likely to be a good woman
thereafter.

These things being accomplished in a satisfactory manner,
Princess Ozma and her people bade farewell to the three Adepts and
departed for the Emerald City, well pleased with their interesting
adventures.

They returned by the road over which Ozma and Dorothy had come,
stopping to get the Sawhorse and the Red Wagon where they had left
them.

"I'm very glad I went to see these peoples," said Princess Ozma,
"for I not only prevented any further warfare between them, but they
have been freed from the rule of the Su-dic and Coo-ee-oh and are now
happy and loyal subjects of the Land of Oz. Which proves that it is
always wise to do one's duty, however unpleasant that duty may seem
to be."