_How_ THE FIERCE WARRIORS INVADED OZ
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
The Nome King and his terrible allies sat at the banquet table untilmidnight. There was much quarreling between the Growleywogs andPhanfasms, and one of the wee-headed Whimsies got angry at General Guphand choked him until he nearly stopped breathing. Yet no one wasseriously hurt, and the Nome King felt much relieved when the clockstruck twelve and they all sprang up and seized their weapons.
"Aha!" shouted the First and Foremost. "Now to conquer the Land of Oz!"
He marshaled his Phanfasms in battle array and at his word of commandthey marched into the tunnel and began the long journey through it tothe Emerald City. The First and Foremost intended to take all thetreasures in Oz for himself; to kill all who could be killed and enslavethe rest; to destroy and lay waste the whole country, and afterward toconquer and enslave the Nomes, the Growleywogs and the Whimsies. And heknew his power was sufficient to enable him to do all these thingseasily.
Next marched into the tunnel the army of gigantic Growleywogs, withtheir Grand Gallipoot at their head. They were dreadful beings, indeed,and longed to get to Oz that they might begin to pilfer and destroy. TheGrand Gallipoot was a little afraid of the First and Foremost, but had acunning plan to murder or destroy that powerful being and secure thewealth of Oz for himself. Mighty little of the plunder would the NomeKing get, thought the Grand Gallipoot.
The Chief of the Whimsies now marched his false-headed forces into thetunnel. In his wicked little head was a plot to destroy both the Firstand Foremost and the Grand Gallipoot. He intended to let them conquerOz, since they insisted on going first; but he would afterwardtreacherously destroy them, as well as King Roquat, and keep all theslaves and treasure of Ozma's kingdom for himself.
After all his dangerous allies had marched into the tunnel the Nome Kingand General Guph started to follow them, at the head of fifty thousandNomes, all fully armed.
"Guph," said the King, "those creatures ahead of us mean mischief. Theyintend to get everything for themselves and leave us nothing."
"I know," replied the General; "but they are not as clever as they thinkthey are. When you get the Magic Belt you must at once wish the Whimsiesand Growleywogs and Phanfasms all back into their own countries--and theBelt will surely take them there."
"Good!" cried the King. "An excellent plan, Guph. I'll do it. While theyare conquering Oz I'll get the Magic Belt, and then only the Nomes willremain to ravage the country."
So you see there was only one thing that all were agreed upon--that Ozshould be destroyed.
On, on, on the vast ranks of invaders marched, filling the tunnel fromside to side. With a steady tramp, tramp, they advanced, every steptaking them nearer to the beautiful Emerald City.
"Nothing can save the Land of Oz!" thought the First and Foremost,scowling until his bear face was as black as the tunnel.
"The Emerald City is as good as destroyed already!" muttered the GrandGallipoot, shaking his war club fiercely.
"In a few hours Oz will be a desert!" said the Chief of the Whimsies,with an evil laugh.
"My dear Guph," remarked the Nome King to his General, "at last myvengeance upon Ozma of Oz and her people is about to be accomplished."
"You are right!" declared the General. "Ozma is surely lost."
And now the First and Foremost, who was in advance and nearing theEmerald City, began to cough and to sneeze.
"This tunnel is terribly dusty," he growled, angrily. "I'll punish thatNome King for not having it swept clean. My throat and eyes are gettingfull of dust and I'm as thirsty as a fish!"
The Grand Gallipoot was coughing too, and his throat was parched anddry.
"What a dusty place!" he cried. "I'll be glad when we reach Oz, where wecan get a drink."
"Who has any water?" asked the Whimsie Chief, gasping and choking. Butnone of his followers carried a drop of water, so he hastened on to getthrough the dusty tunnel to the Land of Oz.
"Where did all this dust come from?" demanded General Guph, trying hardto swallow but finding his throat so dry he couldn't.
"I don't know," answered the Nome King. "I've been in the tunnel everyday while it was being built, but I never noticed any dust before."
"Let's hurry!" cried the General. "I'd give half the gold in Oz for adrink of water."
The dust grew thicker and thicker, and the throats and eyes and noses ofthe invaders were filled with it. But not one halted or turned back.They hurried forward more fierce and vengeful than ever.
The Emerald City of Oz Page 28
