The Eleven Guesses
Hearing this condition imposed by the Nome King, Ozma became silent andthoughtful, and all her friends looked at her uneasily.
"Don't you do it!" exclaimed Dorothy. "If you guess wrong, you will beenslaved yourself."
"But I shall have eleven guesses," answered Ozma. "Surely I ought toguess one object in eleven correctly; and, if I do, I shall rescue oneof the royal family and be safe myself. Then the rest of you may attemptit, and soon we shall free all those who are enslaved."
"What if we fail?" enquired the Scarecrow. "I'd look nice as a piece ofbric-a-brac, wouldn't I?"
"We must not fail!" cried Ozma, courageously. "Having come all thisdistance to free these poor people, it would be weak and cowardly in usto abandon the adventure. Therefore I will accept the Nome King's offer,and go at once into the royal palace."
"Come along, then, my dear," said the King, climbing down from histhrone with some difficulty, because he was so fat; "I'll show you theway."
He approached a wall of the cave and waved his hand. Instantly anopening appeared, through which Ozma, after a smiling farewell to herfriends, boldly passed.
She found herself in a splendid hall that was more beautiful and grandthan anything she had ever beheld. The ceilings were composed of greatarches that rose far above her head, and all the walls and floors wereof polished marble exquisitely tinted in many colors. Thick velvetcarpets were on the floor and heavy silken draperies covered the archesleading to the various rooms of the palace. The furniture was made ofrare old woods richly carved and covered with delicate satins, and theentire palace was lighted by a mysterious rosy glow that seemed to comefrom no particular place but flooded each apartment with its soft andpleasing radiance.
Ozma passed from one room to another, greatly delighted by all she saw.The lovely palace had no other occupant, for the Nome King had left herat the entrance, which closed behind her, and in all the magnificentrooms there appeared to be no other person.
Upon the mantels, and on many shelves and brackets and tables, wereclustered ornaments of every description, seemingly made out of allsorts of metals, glass, china, stones and marbles. There were vases, andfigures of men and animals, and graven platters and bowls, and mosaicsof precious gems, and many other things. Pictures, too, were on thewalls, and the underground palace was quite a museum of rare and curiousand costly objects.
After her first hasty examination of the rooms Ozma began to wonderwhich of all the numerous ornaments they contained were thetransformations of the royal family of Ev. There was nothing to guideher, for everything seemed without a spark of life. So she must guessblindly; and for the first time the girl came to realize how dangerouswas her task, and how likely she was to lose her own freedom in strivingto free others from the bondage of the Nome King. No wonder thecunning monarch laughed good naturedly with his visitors, when he knewhow easily they might be entrapped.
OZMA SHUT HER EYES TIGHTLY AND ADVANCED]
But Ozma, having undertaken the venture, would not abandon it. Shelooked at a silver candelabra that had ten branches, and thought: "Thismay be the Queen of Ev and her ten children." So she touched it anduttered aloud the word "Ev," as the Nome King had instructed her to dowhen she guessed. But the candelabra remained as it was before.
Then she wandered into another room and touched a china lamb, thinkingit might be one of the children she sought. But again she wasunsuccessful. Three guesses; four guesses; five, six, seven, eight, nineand ten she made, and still not one of them was right!
The girl shivered a little and grew pale even under the rosy light; fornow but one guess remained, and her own fate depended upon the result.
She resolved not to be hasty, and strolled through all the rooms oncemore, gazing earnestly upon the various ornaments and trying to decidewhich she would touch. Finally, in despair, she decided to leave itentirely to chance. She faced the doorway of a room, shut her eyestightly, and then, thrusting aside the heavy draperies, she advancedblindly with her right arm outstretched before her.
Slowly, softly she crept forward until her hand came in contact with anobject upon a small round table. She did not know what it was, but in alow voice she pronounced the word "Ev."
The rooms were quite empty of life after that. The Nome King had gaineda new ornament. For upon the edge of the table rested a prettygrasshopper, that seemed to have been formed from a single emerald. Itwas all that remained of Ozma of Oz.
In the throne room just beyond the palace the Nome King suddenly lookedup and smiled.
"Next!" he said, in his pleasant voice.
Dorothy, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Woodman, who had been sitting inanxious silence, each gave a start of dismay and stared into oneanother's eyes.
"Has she failed?" asked Tiktok.
"So it seems," answered the little monarch, cheerfully. "But that is noreason one of you should not succeed. The next may have twelve guesses,instead of eleven, for there are now twelve persons transformed intoornaments. Well, well! Which of you goes next?"
"I'll go," said Dorothy.
"Not so," replied the Tin Woodman. "As commander of Ozma's army, it ismy privilege to follow her and attempt her rescue."
"Away you go, then," said the Scarecrow. "But be careful, old friend."
"I will," promised the Tin Woodman; and then he followed the Nome Kingto the entrance to the palace and the rock closed behind him.
Ozma of Oz Page 13
