Chapter Twenty-Three. The Magic Words

Glinda of Oz

by L. Frank Baum

Many interesting things were to be seen in the Room of Magic,
including much that had been stolen from the Adepts when they were
transformed to fishes, but they had to admit that Coo-ee-oh had a
rare genius for mechanics, and had used her knowledge in inventing a
lot of mechanical apparatus that ordinary witches, wizards and
sorcerers could not understand.

They all carefully inspected this room, taking care to examine
every article they came across.

"The island," said Glinda thoughtfully, "rests on a base of
solid marble. When it is submerged, as it is now, the base of the
island is upon the bottom of the lake. What puzzles me is how such a
great weight can be lifted and suspended in the water, even by
magic."

"I now remember," returned Aujah, "that one of the arts we
taught Coo-ee-oh was the way to expand steel, and I think that
explains how the island is raised and lowered. I noticed in the
basement a big steel pillar that passed through the floor and
extended upward to this palace. Perhaps the end of it is concealed in
this very room. If the lower end of the steel pillar is firmly
embedded in the bottom of the lake, Coo-ee-oh could utter a magic
word that would make the pillar expand, and so lift the entire island
to the level of the water."

"I've found the end of the steel pillar. It's just here,"
announced the Wizard, pointing to one side of the room where a great
basin of polished steel seemed to have been set upon the floor.

They all gathered around, and Ozma said:

"Yes, I am quite sure that is the upper end of the pillar that
supports the island. I noticed it when I first came here. It has been
hollowed out, you see, and something has been burned in the basin,
for the fire has left its marks. I wondered what was under the great
basin and got several of the Skeezers to come up here and try to lift
it for me. They were strong men, but could not move it at all."

"It seems to me," said Audah the Adept, "that we have discovered
the manner in which Coo-ee-oh raised the island. She would burn some
sort of magic powder in the basin, utter the magic word, and the
pillar would lengthen out and lift the island with it."

"What's this?" asked Dorothy, who had been searching around with
the others, and now noticed a slight hollow in the wall, near to
where the steel basin stood. As she spoke Dorothy pushed her thumb
into the hollow and instantly a small drawer popped out from the
wall.

The three Adepts, Glinda and the Wizard sprang forward and
peered into the drawer. It was half filled with a grayish powder, the
tiny grains of which constantly moved as if impelled by some living
force.

"It may be some kind of radium," said the Wizard.

"No," replied Glinda, "it is more wonderful than even radium,
for I recognize it as a rare mineral powder called Gaulau by the
sorcerers. I wonder how Coo-ee-oh discovered it and where she
obtained it."

"There is no doubt," said Aujah the Adept, "that this is the
magic powder Coo-ee-oh burned in the basin. If only we knew the magic
word, I am quite sure we could raise the island."

"How can we discover the magic word?" asked Ozma, turning to
Glinda as she spoke.

"That we must now seriously consider," answered the
Sorceress.

So all of them sat down in the Room of Magic and began to think.
It was so still that after a while Dorothy grew nervous. The little
girl never could keep silent for long, and at the risk of displeasing
her magic-working friends she suddenly said:

"Well, Coo-ee-oh used just three magic words, one to make the
bridge work, and one to make the submarines go out of their holes,
and one to raise and lower the island. Three words. And Coo-ee-oh's
name is made up of just three words. One is 'Coo,' and one is 'ee,'
and one is 'oh.'

The Wizard frowned but Glinda looked wonderingly at the young
girl and Ozma cried out:

"A good thought, Dorothy dear! You may have solved our
problem."

"I believe it is worth a trial," agreed Glinda. "It would be
quite natural for Coo-ee-oh to divide her name into three magic
syllables, and Dorothy's suggestion seems like an inspiration."

The three Adepts also approved the trial but the brown-haired
one said:

"We must be careful not to use the wrong word, and send the
bridge out under water. The main thing, if Dorothy's idea is correct,
is to hit upon the one word that moves the island."

"Let us experiment," suggested the Wizard.

In the drawer with the moving gray powder was a tiny golden cup,
which they thought was used for measuring. Glinda filled this cup
with the powder and carefully poured it into the shallow basin, which
was the top of the great steel pillar supporting the island. Then
Aurah the Adept lighted a taper and touched it to the powder, which
instantly glowed fiery red and tumbled about the basin with
astonishing energy. While the grains of powder still glowed red the
Sorceress bent over it and said in a voice of command: "Coo!"

They waited motionless to see what would happen. There was a
grating noise and a whirl of machinery, but the island did not move a
particle.

Dorothy rushed to the window, which overlooked the glass side of
the dome.

"The boats!" she exclaimed. "The boats are all loose an' sailing
under water."

"We've made a mistake," said the Wizard gloomily.

"But it's one which shows we are on the right track," declared
Aujah the Adept. "We know now that Coo-ee-oh used the syllables of
her name for the magic words."

"If 'Coo' sends out the boats, it is probable that ee' works the
bridge," suggested Ozma. "So the last part of the name may raise the
island."

"Let us try that next then," proposed the Wizard.

He scraped the embers of the burned powder out of the basin and
Glinda again filled the golden cup from the drawer and placed it on
top the steel pillar. Aurah lighted it with her taper and Ozma bent
over the basin and murmured the long drawn syllable: "Oh-h-h!"

Instantly the island trembled and with a weird groaning noise it
moved upward -- slowly, very slowly, but with a steady motion, while
all the company stood by in awed silence. It was a wonderful thing,
even to those skilled in the arts of magic, wizardry and sorcery, to
realize that a single word could raise that great, heavy island, with
its immense glass Dome.

"Why, we're way above the lake now!" exclaimed Dorothy from the
window, when at last the island ceased to move.

"That is because we lowered the level of the water," explained
Glinda.

They could hear the Skeezers cheering lustily in the streets of
the village as they realized that they were saved.

"Come," said Ozma eagerly, "let us go down and join the
people."

"Not just yet," returned Glinda, a happy smile upon her lovely
face, for she was overjoyed at their success. "First let us extend
the bridge to the mainland, where our friends from the Emerald City
are waiting."

It didn't take long to put more powder in the basin, light it
and utter the syllable "EE!" The result was that a door in the
basement opened and the steel bridge moved out, extended itself joint
by joint, and finally rested its far end on the shore of the lake
just in front of the encampment.

"Now," said Glinda, "we can go up and receive the
congratulations of the Skeezers and of our friends of the Rescue
Expedition."

Across the water, on the shore of the lake, the Patchwork Girl
was waving them a welcome.