Just then the Chief Steward1 rushed in with a sponge and a bowl of water, and began mopping away the broken eggs from his master's face. In a few minutes, and while all the party stood looking on, the King regained2 the use of his eyes, and the first thing he did was to glare wickedly upon the Scarecrow and exclaim:
"Really," said the Scarecrow, "they DON'T seem to agree with you, although I wonder why."
"I'll transform you all into scorpions5!" cried the King, angrily, and began waving his arms and muttering magic words.
But none of the people became scorpions, so the King stopped and looked at them in surprise.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Why, you are not wearing your magic belt," replied the Chief Steward, after looking the King over carefully. "Where is it? What have you done with it?"
The Nome King clapped his hand to his waist, and his rock colored face turned white as chalk.
"It's gone," he cried, helplessly. "It's gone, and I am ruined!"
Dorothy now stepped forward and said:
"Royal Ozma, and you, Queen of Ev, I welcome you and your people back to the land of the living. Billina has saved you from your troubles, and now we will leave this drea'ful place, and return to Ev as soon as poss'ble."
While the child spoke6 they could all see that she wore the magic belt, and a great cheer went up from all her friends, which was led by the voices of the Scarecrow and the private. But the Nome King did not join them. He crept back onto his throne like a whipped dog, and lay there bitterly bemoaning7 his defeat.
"But we have not yet found my faithful follower8, the Tin Woodman," said Ozma to Dorothy, "and without him I do not wish to go away."
"Nor I," replied Dorothy, quickly. "Wasn't he in the palace?"
"He must be there," said Billina; "but I had no clue to guide me in guessing the Tin Woodman, so I must have missed him."
"We will go back into the rooms," said Dorothy. "This magic belt, I am sure, will help us to find our dear old friend."
So she re-entered the palace, the doors of which still stood open, and everyone followed her except the Nome King, the Queen of Ev and Prince Evring. The mother had taken the little Prince in her lap and was fondling and kissing him lovingly, for he was her youngest born.
But the others went with Dorothy, and when she came to the middle of the first room the girl waved her hand, as she had seen the King do, and commanded the Tin Woodman, whatever form he might then have, to resume his proper shape. No result followed this attempt, so Dorothy went into another room and repeated it, and so through all the rooms of the palace. Yet the Tin Woodman did not appear to them, nor could they imagine which among the thousands of ornaments9 was their transformed friend.
Sadly they returned to the throne room, where the King, seeing that they had met with failure, jeered11 at Dorothy, saying:
"You do not know how to use my belt, so it is of no use to you. Give it back to me and I will let you go free--you and all the people who came with you. As for the royal family of Ev, they are my slaves, and shall remain here."
"I shall keep the belt," said Dorothy.
"But how can you escape, without my consent?" asked the King.
"Easily enough," answered the girl. "All we need to do is to walk out the way that we came in."
"Oh, that's all, is it?" sneered12 the King. "Well, where is the passage through which you entered this room?"
They all looked around, but could not discover the place, for it had long since been closed. Dorothy, however, would not be dismayed. She waved her hand toward the seemingly solid wall of the cavern13 and said:
"I command the passage to open!"
Instantly the order was obeyed; the opening appeared and the passage lay plainly before them.
The King was amazed, and all the others overjoyed.
"Why, then, if the belt obeys you, were we unable to discover the Tin Woodman?" asked Ozma.
"I can't imagine," said Dorothy.
"See here, girl," proposed the King, eagerly; "give me the belt, and I will tell you what shape the Tin Woodman was changed into, and then you can easily find him."
Dorothy hesitated, but Billina cried out:
"Don't you do it! If the Nome King gets the belt again he will make every one of us prisoners, for we will be in his power. Only by keeping the belt, Dorothy, will you ever be able to leave this place in safety."
"I think that is true," said the Scarecrow. "But I have another idea, due to my excellent brains. Let Dorothy transform the King into a goose-egg unless he agrees to go into the palace and bring out to us the ornament10 which is our friend Nick Chopper, the Tin Woodman."
"Well, a goose-egg you will be unless you go and fetch us the ornament we want," declared Billina, with a joyful15 chuckle16.
"You can see for yourself that Dorothy is able to use the magic belt all right," added the Scarecrow.
The Nome King thought it over and finally consented, for he did not want to be a goose-egg. So he went into the palace to get the ornament which was the transformation17 of the Tin Woodman, and they all awaited his return with considerable impatience18, for they were anxious to leave this underground cavern and see the sunshine once more. But when the Nome King came back he brought nothing with him except a puzzled and anxious expression upon his face.
"He's gone!" he said. "The Tin Woodman is nowhere in the palace."
"Are you sure?" asked Ozma, sternly.
"I'm very sure," answered the King, trembling, "for I know just what I transformed him into, and exactly where he stood. But he is not there, and please don't change me into a goose-egg, because I've done the best I could."
They were all silent for a time, and then Dorothy said:
"There is no use punishing the Nome King any more, and I'm 'fraid we'll have to go away without our friend."
"If he is not here, we cannot rescue him," agreed the Scarecrow, sadly. "Poor Nick! I wonder what has become of him."
"And he owed me six weeks back pay!" said one of the generals, wiping the tears from his eyes with his gold-laced coat sleeve.
Very sorrowfully they determined19 to return to the upper world without their former companion, and so Ozma gave the order to begin the march through the passage.
The army went first, and then the royal family of Ev, and afterward20 came Dorothy, Ozma, Billina, the Scarecrow and Tiktok.
They left the Nome King scowling21 at them from his throne, and had no thought of danger until Ozma chanced to look back and saw a large number of the warriors22 following them in full chase, with their swords and spears and axes raised to strike down the fugitives23 as soon as they drew near enough.
Evidently the Nome King had made this last attempt to prevent their escaping him; but it did him no good, for when Dorothy saw the danger they were in she stopped and waved her hand and whispered a command to the magic belt.
Instantly the foremost warriors became eggs, which rolled upon the floor of the cavern in such numbers that those behind could not advance without stepping upon them. But, when they saw the eggs, all desire to advance departed from the warriors, and they turned and fled madly into the cavern, and refused to go back again.
Our friends had no further trouble in reaching the end of the passage, and soon were standing24 in the outer air upon the gloomy path between the two high mountains. But the way to Ev lay plainly before them, and they fervently25 hoped that they had seen the last of the Nome King and of his dreadful palace.
The cavalcade26 was led by Ozma, mounted on the Cowardly Lion, and the Queen of Ev, who rode upon the back of the Tiger. The children of the Queen walked behind her, hand in hand. Dorothy rode the Sawhorse, while the Scarecrow walked and commanded the army in the absence of the Tin Woodman.
Presently the way began to lighten and more of the sunshine to come in between the two mountains. And before long they heard the "thump27! thump! thump!" of the giant's hammer upon the road.
"How may we pass the monstrous28 man of iron?" asked the Queen, anxious for the safety of her children. But Dorothy solved the problem by a word to the magic belt.
The giant paused, with his hammer held motionless in the air, thus allowing the entire party to pass between his cast-iron legs in safety.
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1
steward
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| n.乘务员，服务员；看管人；膳食管理员 | |
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regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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3
dummy
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| n.假的东西；(哄婴儿的)橡皮奶头 | |
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strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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scorpions
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| n.蝎子( scorpion的名词复数 ) | |
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6
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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7
bemoaning
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| v.为（某人或某事）抱怨( bemoan的现在分词 )；悲悼；为…恸哭；哀叹 | |
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8
follower
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| n.跟随者；随员；门徒；信徒 | |
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9
ornaments
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| n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 ) | |
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10
ornament
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| v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物 | |
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11
jeered
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| v.嘲笑( jeer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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12
sneered
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| 讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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14
horrified
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| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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15
joyful
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| adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的 | |
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16
chuckle
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| vi.／n.轻声笑，咯咯笑 | |
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17
transformation
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| n.变化；改造；转变 | |
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18
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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19
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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21
scowling
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| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的现在分词 ) | |
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22
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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23
fugitives
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| n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 ) | |
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24
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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fervently
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| adv.热烈地，热情地，强烈地 | |
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cavalcade
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| n.车队等的行列 | |
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27
thump
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| v.重击，砰然地响；n.重击，重击声 | |
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28
monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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