Su-dic's magic is very powerful, although
not as great as that possessed by his wife Rora, before Coo-ee-oh
transformed her into a Golden Pig."
"I don't blame her very much for doing that," remarked Dorothy, "for
the Flatheads were wicked to try to catch your beautiful fish and the
Witch Rora wanted to poison all the fishes in the lake."
"Do you know the reason?" asked the Lady Aurex.
"I don't s'pose there was any reason, 'cept just wickedness," replied
Dorothy.
"Tell us the reason," said Ozma earnestly.
"Well, your Majesty, once—a long time ago—the Flatheads and the
Skeezers were friendly. They visited our island and we visited their
mountain, and everything was pleasant between the two peoples. At that
time the Flatheads were ruled by three Adepts in Sorcery, beautiful
girls who were not Flatheads, but had wandered to the Flat Mountain and
made their home there. These three Adepts used their magic only for
good, and the mountain people gladly made them their rulers. They
taught the Flatheads how to use their canned brains and how to work
metals into clothing that would never wear out, and many other things
that added to their happiness and content.
"Coo-ee-oh was our Queen then, as now, but she knew no magic and so had
nothing to be proud of. But the three Adepts were very kind to
Coo-ee-oh. They built for us this wonderful dome of glass and our
houses of marble and taught us to make beautiful clothing and many
other things. Coo-ee-oh pretended to be very grateful for these favors,
but it seems that all the time she was jealous of the three Adepts and
secretly tried to discover their arts of magic. In this she was more
clever than anyone suspected. She invited the three Adepts to a banquet
one day, and while they were feasting Coo-ee-oh stole their charms and
magical instruments and transformed them into three fishes—a gold
fish, a silver fish and a bronze fish. While the poor fishes were
gasping and flopping helplessly on the floor of the banquet room one of
them said reproachfully: 'You will be punished for this, Coo-ee-oh, for
if one of us dies or is destroyed, you will become shrivelled and
helpless, and all your stolen magic will depart from you.' Frightened
by this threat, Coo-ee-oh at once caught up the three fish and ran with
them to the shore of the lake, where she cast them into the water. This
revived the three Adepts and they swam away and disappeared.
"I, myself, witnessed this shocking scene," continued Lady Aurex, "and
so did many other Skeezers. The news was carried to the Flatheads, who
then turned from friends to enemies. The Su-dic and his wife Rora were
the only ones on the mountain who were glad the three Adepts had been
lost to them, and they at once became Rulers of the Flatheads and stole
their canned brains from others to make themselves the more powerful.
Some of the Adepts' magic tools had been left on the mountain, and
these Rora seized and by the use of them she became a witch.
"The result of Coo-ee-oh's treachery was to make both the Skeezers and
the Flatheads miserable instead of happy. Not only were the Su-dic and
his wife cruel to their people, but our Queen at once became proud and
arrogant and treated us very unkindly. All the Skeezers knew she had
stolen her magic powers and so she hated us and made us humble
ourselves before her and obey her slightest word. If we disobeyed, or
did not please her, or if we talked about her when we were in our own
homes she would have us dragged to the whipping post in her palace and
lashed with knotted cords. That is why we fear her so greatly."
This story filled Ozma's heart with sorrow and Dorothy's heart with
indignation.
"I now understand," said Ozma, "why the fishes in the lake have brought
about war between the Skeezers and the Flatheads."
"Yes," Lady Aurex answered, "now that you know the story it is easy to
understand. The Su-dic and his wife came to our lake hoping to catch
the silver fish, or gold fish, or bronze fish—any one
not as great as that possessed by his wife Rora, before Coo-ee-oh
transformed her into a Golden Pig."
"I don't blame her very much for doing that," remarked Dorothy, "for
the Flatheads were wicked to try to catch your beautiful fish and the
Witch Rora wanted to poison all the fishes in the lake."
"Do you know the reason?" asked the Lady Aurex.
"I don't s'pose there was any reason, 'cept just wickedness," replied
Dorothy.
"Tell us the reason," said Ozma earnestly.
"Well, your Majesty, once—a long time ago—the Flatheads and the
Skeezers were friendly. They visited our island and we visited their
mountain, and everything was pleasant between the two peoples. At that
time the Flatheads were ruled by three Adepts in Sorcery, beautiful
girls who were not Flatheads, but had wandered to the Flat Mountain and
made their home there. These three Adepts used their magic only for
good, and the mountain people gladly made them their rulers. They
taught the Flatheads how to use their canned brains and how to work
metals into clothing that would never wear out, and many other things
that added to their happiness and content.
"Coo-ee-oh was our Queen then, as now, but she knew no magic and so had
nothing to be proud of. But the three Adepts were very kind to
Coo-ee-oh. They built for us this wonderful dome of glass and our
houses of marble and taught us to make beautiful clothing and many
other things. Coo-ee-oh pretended to be very grateful for these favors,
but it seems that all the time she was jealous of the three Adepts and
secretly tried to discover their arts of magic. In this she was more
clever than anyone suspected. She invited the three Adepts to a banquet
one day, and while they were feasting Coo-ee-oh stole their charms and
magical instruments and transformed them into three fishes—a gold
fish, a silver fish and a bronze fish. While the poor fishes were
gasping and flopping helplessly on the floor of the banquet room one of
them said reproachfully: 'You will be punished for this, Coo-ee-oh, for
if one of us dies or is destroyed, you will become shrivelled and
helpless, and all your stolen magic will depart from you.' Frightened
by this threat, Coo-ee-oh at once caught up the three fish and ran with
them to the shore of the lake, where she cast them into the water. This
revived the three Adepts and they swam away and disappeared.
"I, myself, witnessed this shocking scene," continued Lady Aurex, "and
so did many other Skeezers. The news was carried to the Flatheads, who
then turned from friends to enemies. The Su-dic and his wife Rora were
the only ones on the mountain who were glad the three Adepts had been
lost to them, and they at once became Rulers of the Flatheads and stole
their canned brains from others to make themselves the more powerful.
Some of the Adepts' magic tools had been left on the mountain, and
these Rora seized and by the use of them she became a witch.
"The result of Coo-ee-oh's treachery was to make both the Skeezers and
the Flatheads miserable instead of happy. Not only were the Su-dic and
his wife cruel to their people, but our Queen at once became proud and
arrogant and treated us very unkindly. All the Skeezers knew she had
stolen her magic powers and so she hated us and made us humble
ourselves before her and obey her slightest word. If we disobeyed, or
did not please her, or if we talked about her when we were in our own
homes she would have us dragged to the whipping post in her palace and
lashed with knotted cords. That is why we fear her so greatly."
This story filled Ozma's heart with sorrow and Dorothy's heart with
indignation.
"I now understand," said Ozma, "why the fishes in the lake have brought
about war between the Skeezers and the Flatheads."
"Yes," Lady Aurex answered, "now that you know the story it is easy to
understand. The Su-dic and his wife came to our lake hoping to catch
the silver fish, or gold fish, or bronze fish—any one
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