The Oz Series

Chapter 57

Part of the Ozma of Oz: The Land of Ev and the Nome King arc.

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What happens

The Tin Woodman addresses the conference first, recounting that word reached their Ruler, Ozma of Oz, that the wife and ten children (five boys and five girls) of former King of Ev Evoldo were enslaved by the Nome King and held in his underground palace, with no one in Ev powerful enough to free them. Ozma wished to undertake the rescue but long could find no way across the great desert between the two countries. She finally went to a friendly sorceress named Glinda the Good, who gave Ozma a magic carpet that would continually unroll beneath their feet to make a path across the desert. Ozma then ordered the Tin Woodman to assemble the army, the pick of Oz's finest soldiers, who will battle fiercely unto death if they must fight the Nome King.

Tiktok questions why they should fight the Nome King, who has done no wrong, since the Queen and children were sold to him by King Evoldo; it was Evoldo who did wrong and who drowned himself upon realizing it. Ozma finds this news, having supposed the Nome King was all to blame, but maintains he must be made to free the prisoners. Princess Langwidere declares her uncle Evoldo a wicked man who sold his family to the powerful Nome King in exchange for a long life, then destroyed that life by jumping into the sea. Ozma reasons that since Evoldo did not keep the long life, the Nome King must give up the prisoners, and asks where they are confined. Langwidere replies no one knows exactly, but the king, named Roquat of the Rocks, owns a splendid palace beneath the great mountain at the north end of the kingdom and has transformed the queen and her children into ornaments and bric-a-brac to decorate his rooms.

Dorothy asks who the Nome King is, and Ozma explains he is said to be the Ruler of the Underground World, commanding the rocks and all they contain. Under him labor many thousands of Nomes, queerly shaped but powerful sprites who work the furnaces and forges making gold, silver, and other metals, which they hide in rock crevices, along with diamonds, rubies, and emeralds hidden in the ground, making the Nome kingdom wonderfully rich; all precious stones and metals on the surface are what people take from where the Nome King hid them. Because surface-dwellers often steal his treasures, the Nome King is not fond of them and never appears among them, so to see King Roquat of the Rocks they must visit his own country, where he is all-powerful, making it a dangerous undertaking.

Dorothy insists they ought to do it for the poor prisoners, and the Scarecrow agrees despite his fear of the Nome King's furnaces, since a single spark could destroy his straw. The Tin Woodman notes the furnaces may melt his tin but declares he is going. Princess Langwidere says she cannot bear heat and will stay home, wishing them success since she is tired of ruling and wants more leisure to admire her heads. Ozma says they do not need her, for if she and her brave followers cannot accomplish the purpose it would be useless for Langwidere to go. Langwidere agrees and retires to her cabinet to change her head. Ozma then asks Tiktok to join; he answers he is the slave of Dorothy, who rescued him, and will go where she goes. Dorothy declares she is going with her friends and asks Billina, who carelessly agrees. The Scarecrow jokes that heat suits Billina, who if nicely roasted will be better than ever. Ozma arranges to start for the Kingdom of the Nomes at daybreak the next day, using the intervening time to rest and prepare.

Although Langwidere does not reappear, the palace servants wait on the strangers, providing many vacant rooms and feasting the army of twenty-seven. The Cowardly Lion and Hungry Tiger are unharnessed and allowed to roam, frightening the servants though doing no harm. Dorothy finds the maid Nanda crouching in terror before the Hungry Tiger, who is asking permission to eat her; when she refuses, he instead orders about thirty pounds of tenderloin steak cooked rare, a peck of boiled potatoes, and five gallons of ice-cream, and Nanda flees to comply. The Tiger tells Dorothy his appetite seems to fill his whole body and is too large for it, joking he will someday have it pulled by a dentist with forceps like a tooth.

Dorothy spends most of the afternoon with the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman, who relate all that has happened in Oz since she left. She learns Ozma's story: as a baby Ozma was stolen by a wicked old witch and transformed into a boy, not knowing she had been a girl until restored by a kind sorceress, whereupon she was found to be the only child of the former Ruler of Oz and entitled to rule. Before regaining her father's throne Ozma had many adventures accompanied by a pumpkin-headed man, a highly magnified and thoroughly educated Woggle-Bug, and a sawhorse brought to life by a magic powder, and also assisted by the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman. The Cowardly Lion, King of Beasts ruling the great forest, knew nothing of Ozma until she became reigning princess, then journeyed to the Emerald City to see her and, hearing of the Ev expedition, begged to accompany her, bringing along his friend the Hungry Tiger. Dorothy relates her own adventures in return.

Dorothy then goes with her friends to find the Sawhorse, which Ozma had shod with plates of gold so its legs would not wear out. They find him standing motionless by the garden gate; introduced to Dorothy, he bows, blinks his wooden-knot eyes, and wags his tree-branch tail. He tells Dorothy that a creature like him has no business to live, but the magic powder did it, so he cannot be blamed; he is of use as a mount, never tires, and never needs feeding or care. He admits he is not very intelligent, since it would be foolish to waste intelligence on a common Sawhorse when so many professors need it, but he knows enough to obey his masters and respond to gid-dup and whoa.

That night Dorothy sleeps in a bed-chamber next to Ozma's, with Billina perched on the foot of the bed sleeping soundly with her head under her wing. Before daybreak everyone is awake, and the adventurers eat a hasty breakfast in the great dining-room, Ozma at the head of a long table on a raised platform with Dorothy on her right and the Scarecrow (who does not eat but advises) on her left; lower down sit the twenty-seven warriors, while the Lion and Tiger eat from a kettle on the floor and Billina picks up scraps. After the meal the Lion and Tiger are harnessed to the chariot and the party sets out for the Nome King's Palace. Ozma rides first with Dorothy beside her holding Billina, then the Scarecrow on the Sawhorse with the Tin Woodman and Tiktok marching side by side behind, followed by the Army, in which the generals command the colonels, the colonels the majors, the majors the captains, and the captains the single proud private. The magnificent procession leaves the palace at daybreak and by sunrise has made good progress toward the valley leading to the Nome King's domain.

Who is in play

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