L. Frank Baum - Oz 25 - Pirates In Oz

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Pirates In Oz – Oz 25
L. Frank Baum
by Ruth Plumly Thompson
Chapter 1
The Outcast Gnome
ALL morning the little gray peddler had trudged along the rocky road without encountering a
single customer. In his sack he carried a supply of dark spectacles which he traded for food, old clothes,
a night's lodging or whatever he could coax from the good wives of the countryside. The sun was hot and
scorching and the peddler's temper, never of the best, mounted with each step he took up the stony
pathway. Finally, flinging down his pack, he stamped both feet, shook both fists, and drawing a small
writing tablet from his pocket began scribbling so fast and furiously that the point flew off his pencil at the
fifth word. Ripping off the sheet, he threw both it and the pencil into a pepper bush and scowled fiercely
at a crow that had settled on the branch of a dead tree near-by. Paying no attention to his terrible look,
the crow flew down, picked up the piece of paper and holding it in one claw began to read the scribbled
words.
"Haw, haw! Caw, caw!" chortled the crow, rocking backward and forward with amusement.
"I know who you are, old bow-legs! You're the old Gnome King and bad as you ever were. Haw, haw!
You're a caution, Rug! Where did you learn all this mad language anyway? Trying to conquer Oz and
outwit the Wizard?" Tucking the paper under his wing, the crow stared insolently at the ragged elf who
had once been King of all the Gnomes and whose last attempt to capture theEmeraldCityhad brought him
to the sorry condition of wanderer and outcast. Ruggedo made no answer to the crow's saucy speech,
not because he couldn't think of plenty of things to say, but because it was impossible for him to say
them. Ruggedo was speechless and the chest that had once sparkled with precious gems and heavy gold
chains now bore only a rudely printed placard: "Kindly help the dumb." But though the old gnome could
no longer speak, he could still act. Seizing a jagged stone he hurled it at the crow with such speed and
suddenness that the latter stopped crowing in a hurry and flew screeching into the air. Left to himself,
Ruggedo began to weep from pure vexation and self pity, wiping his tears on his long white whiskers and
kicking his heels vindictively against the rocks.
"Every one is against me!" reflected the gnome bitterly. "Every one, every two, every three,
and everybody! Even the birds crow over me and make my life miserable and all because I want to
regain my own kingdom and punish that wretched Ozma of Oz for defying and enchanting me!" This was
not quite true, but Ruggedo's thoughts were as crooked and twisted as his crooked little body. He could
not think straight nor honestly and would not admit, even to himself, that most of his troubles were his
own fault.
As ruler of the gnomes he had been one of the richest and most important of monarchs, his
underground dominions were vast, grand and awe inspiring, and all the precious metals and jewels an
emperor could wish for had been quarried from the mines by his patient little subjects. Besides all this,
Ruggedo had had many magic treasures that enabled him to overcome his enemies and pass the time
pleasantly between battles. But this foolish King had not been satisfied with his own possessions.
Across the Deadly Desert from his dominions lay the wonderful Land of Oz, ruled over by
Princess Ozma, a fairy much more important and powerful than himself. Again and again Ruggedo had
tried to vanquish Ozma and conquer her kingdom. But good magic is always better than bad, and each
time Ozma had triumphed over the Gnome King and his wicked allies. Naturally kind hearted and gentle,
Ozma had not wished to destroy her enemy utterly. Once he had been dipped into the Fountain of
Oblivion and forgot for a season his evil plans and schemings. But this did not last long and soon he was
again storming theEmeraldCity, Ozma's capital. This time he lost not only his kingdom, but was banished,
as well, to a lonely island in theNonesticOcean. Miraculously escaping from this island on an old pirate
ship, Ruggedo had made a last desperate attempt to enslave the Oz folk. But this scheme, too, had
proved vain, and the silence stone flung by Peter, aPhiladelphiaboy visiting in Oz, just at the moment
Ruggedo was consigning Ozma and all the celebrities to the bottom of the sea, had struck the Gnome
King on the forehead and rendered him speechless. The spell cast by the silence stone would keep.
Ruggedo dumb for seven years, and thinking this punishment enough Ozma had let him go.
For five years now the former Metal Monarch had wandered up and down Oz, begging,
peddling, and stealing. Finally, homesick and discouraged, he had bribed an eagle to carry him across the
Deadly Desert and had thus returned to his own country in Ev. But Kaliko, appointed by Ozma to rule in
his stead, would not even buy one pair of spectacles from his former master, and calling his bodyguards
had had Ruggedo thrown out of his underground castle in short order. So now the dejected little gnome
was on his way to theKingdomofRinkitinkwhich lay just beyond Gnoman's Land bordering theNonestic
Ocean. It was ruled over by a king so cheerful and merry that Ruggedo felt he could not only sell him a
lot of spectacles, but hoax the old monarch into giving him a position at court as well. The mere thought
of King Rinkitink made Ruggedo stop weeping, and taking another pencil from his pocket he began
sharpening it briskly. Writing messages upon his tablet was the only way Ruggedo could make himself
understood and he wanted to be quite ready to converse with his jolly old neighbor.
"Why, I may even be able to steal some of his magic," reasoned Ruggedo, squinting down at
the long point he had put on his pencil. Thinking of magic always put him in a good humor and picking up
his sack he proceeded more hopefully along the rocky road. In about an hour he had come to a narrow
crevice between two rocks and squeezing through found himself on the edge of a small and unknown
country. Sure that the mountain pass would lead directly into Rinkitink, the Gnome King paused
uncertainly. On the maps in his underground castle, he had often studied the kingdoms near his own
dominions. To the north lay the Vegetable Kingdom, Rinkitink, and the Land of the Wheelers. Ruggedo
had been travelling north and had visited all these places, but the country he was now entering was
entirely new and unfamiliar to him. As far as he could see stretched a flowering garden. Its posies were
old-fashioned and quiet in color: faded pinks, light blues and subdued lavenders. The trees and grass
seemed more gray than green, and over the whole hung a silvery haze that gave an air of dreamy unreality
to the scene. Ruggedo much preferred the flash and glitter of his jewelled caverns and looking
contemptuously at the pale yellow palace rising from the center of the garden, he wondered what kind of
king it might contain. The palace was surrounded by a high rose-grown wall and as Ruggedo continued
to stare, a door in the wall opened and out stepped a stately courtier in a fine white wig. He had a large
sign under his arm. This he hung on the golden door knob, and after looking up and down the road,
yawned tremendously and went in, shutting the door behind him.
Extremely curious as to just what the sign might say, Ruggedo jumped down from the rocky
ledge and went scurrying across the garden. It was strangely quiet and still; the birds hopping about in the
branches of the trees neither twittered nor sang and Ruggedo's own footsteps sounded so loud and
startling that by the time he reached the castle he was uneasily proceeding on tiptoe. Quite out of breath,
for he had hurried considerably, he squinted up at the notice on the door. Then he gave a bounce of pure
astonishment.
WANTED: A DUMB KING
stated the sign in calm pink letters. Ruggedo could have screamed with surprise and shock, but this being
impossible, he bounded into the air and kicked both heels together, his wicked little face crimson with
excitement.
"Can it be that at last I am to have some good fortune?" exulted the old gnome, his red eyes
snapping with anticipation. "I am a king; for the present, I am dumb. Surely, then, this must mean me!"
Snatching down the sign he tucked it under his arm and opening the door in the wall walked boldly into
the courtyard.
CHAPTER 2
The StrangeKingdomofMenankypoo
A Double line of guardsmen, in pale yellow uniforms and three cornered hats, stretched from
the gates to the castle door, and as Ruggedo burst into the court-yard they raised their guns threateningly.
But for all his badness, the Gnome King was really quite brave and though no larger than a small child,
marched resolutely between the lines without a glance at the guardsmen. Astonished at such boldness, the
soldiers let him pass. At the castle door itself Ruggedo paused, for gleaming on the smooth white panels
were eight jewelled words: "This is theKingdomofMENANKYPOO. Quiet, please."
"Suits me!" sniffed Ruggedo, and straightening the placard on his chest, he confidently kicked
open the door. His entrance caused quite a commotion and stir in the yellow throne room. The courtiers
and ministers of Menankypoo, who had been drowsing peacefully in the depths of the great yellow
armchairs, sprang to their feet and looked askance at the ragged figure in the doorway, and Ruggedo as
curiously looked back. At first glance they seemed usual and every day sort of fellows, but as a tall,
pompous dignitary with a gold staff hurried forward he realized his error. Here, surely, were the oddest
people he had encountered in the whole thousand years of his existence, for the Menankypoos did not
talk at all. But their foreheads, which were high and broad, lit up with long sparkling sentences, each
message as clear and distinct as words flashed upon an electric sign.
"I am Kapoosa, Major Dumbo of Menankypoo," announced the fellow with the staff, tapping
three times on the floor. "who are you?" Blinking up at the Major Dumbo and almost too startled to
answer, Ruggedo held up the sign he had taken from the castle gate and pointing to the words, "Dumb
King," waited for Kapoosa to continue the conversation.
"So-you-are-a-dumb-king?" Rather slowly the words formed on Kapoosa's forehead and the
Menankypoos, looking curiously over his shoulder, spelled out all sorts of uncomplimentary remarks and
questions. To these Ruggedo paid no attention whatever, but taking out his tablet and pencil scribbled
hurriedly: "what are the duties of the king?"
"The king is not supposed to do anything." This answer, which presently appeared on the
Major Dumbo's forehead, exactly suited the lazy little Gnome King. So pushing imperiously through the
crowd of Menankypoos he made his way to the throne, felt its cushions fastidiously and finding them soft
and numerous settled down contentedly and wrote: "I'll take the job." The Menankypoos looked
doubtfully at one another as they read the words on Ruggedo's tablet, and started such an agitated
conversation among themselves that the room became fairly electric from the flashes. While they were
thus engaged, Ruggedo suddenly thought of something else.
"What became of your last king?" he scrawled uneasily.
"He fell in the sea. As it is customary for the King of Menankypoo to do nothing he continued
to do nothing, and consequently sank to the bottom.
That is all." Ruggedo thoughtfully considered the fate of Menankypoo's monarch as it was
spelled out on Kapoosa's forehead. At first he was tempted to inquire why they had not fished the king
out of the sea, for in fairy countries sovereigns are not destroyed or killed by such simple accidents. But
realizing that this would deprive him of the kingship, he merely pursed up his lips and nodded
understandingly. The Menankypoos had by this time come to some agreement and after a short
conference with them Kapoosa stepped closer to the throne.
"You must now pass the dumb tests," read Ruggedo, after a long, earnest stare into the grave face of the
Major Dumbo, and without enlightening him any further the Menankypoos filed but of the throne room.
"Now what?" thought the puzzled gnome. "I cannot talk and am therefore dumb, but there may
be more to it than that. It will be hard for a fellow as smart as I am to pass for a dunce. Still, I must
manage it somehow." Pushing back his straggling locks, Ruggedo pressed his hands to his temples,
closed his little red eyes and thought and thought and presently reached a very clever conclusion. "As I
am naturally bright and sharp, to pass this test I must do the exact opposite to what I would naturally do,"
he decided, reasonably enough. Feeling that he had already solved the problem, Ruggedo sank back
among his cushions and waited for what was to come. He was not long in suspense for almost at once a
kitchen boy in heavy wooden shoes darted through a door. Before Ruggedo had time to think he jumped
hard on the Gnome King's favorite foot.
"Brine and brimstone!" raged Ruggedo, but alas! only to himself, for he could not utter one
sound. Hopping on the other foot he made a savage swing at the kitchen boy, but the boy was already
half way to the kitchen. The Menankypoos, peering through curtains and doors, nodded their heads with
satisfaction and approval. Noting this out of the corner of his eye Ruggedo grew calmer. Recalling that
kingdoms are not gained without some trouble and discomfort he sat down, his injured foot stuck straight
out before him. Scarcely had he recovered from the shock of the first test before the great central doors
of the throne room banged open and in stepped the Yellow Guardsmen. They stamped forward stolidly,
six abreast, and Ruggedo, clutching the arms of his throne, tried to make up his mind what to do or what
not to do. The sensible thing would be, of course, to write "HALT!" on his tablet and hold it up before
they advanced any further. But one did not pass dumb tests by acting sensibly, so shutting his eyes and
gritting his crooked teeth Ruggedo did nothing.
Thump! Thump! Thump! On came the Yellow Guardsmen; they reached the throne and
without pause or stop tramped right over the little Gnome King and on out through a door at the back.
There were a good many guardsmen and by the time they had all passed, Ruggedo was perfectly flat on
his back. Only the number and softness of the cushions saved him from being completely squashed.
Rather slowly Ruggedo straightened up, feeling his nose see if it was still in place, rubbing his stomach,
and turning his neck stiffly and experimentally from left to right. As he was trying to bend his knees the
tap of the Major Dumbo's staff made him look up. Before the throne stood six regal ladies, gowned with
extreme elegance, but all exactly alike.
"Your Highness will now pick out the Royal Princess," flashed Kapoosa in one bright
sentence. By this time Ruggedo was so mad he could hard breathe and the eyes he turned on the six
royal maidens snapped so red and spitefully that they took a step backward. But ruffled and enraged as
he was, Ruggedo still wanted to be king. Long experience had taught the gnome that princess were
usually plainer than their ladies in waiting. So after a careful squint all down the line, he pointed to the
loveliest of the Menankypoo maidens This one he felt sure could not be the real princess. His choice
seemed to delight the Major Dumbo, who jumped lightly into the air and clicked both heels together.
Leaning forward to see what he was saying, Ruggedo read with some satisfaction:
"This person has passed the dumb tests. He cannot talk, he cannot act he cannot think. He will
make a splendid king! Long live the King of Menankypoo!" As this sentence lit up the forehead of the
Major Dumbo, all the other courtiers hurried into the court room bowing. and smiling. "Long live the
King," flashed from face to face.
"I won't live long if I have to pass many more days like this," thought Ruggedo gloomily, but pulling
himself together he bowed first to the 1eft, then to the right and nodded haughtily, or as haughtily as a
fellow who has just been trampled upon can nod, to his future subjects. Kapoosa was the first to reach
the throne. Handing the king a pair of golden dumb-bells he explained in a series of flashes that if
Ruggedo wanted anything he had merely to raise one or the other of the dumb-bells and a page would at
once appear to carry out his commands. The Menankypoos, he went on to say, did not desire an
ambitious monarch who was always making wars and conquests. They preferred him to mind his own
business and to allow them to meditate and converse in quietness and peace. All this took some time, and
when the Major Dumbo had finished, Ruggedo, who was quite worn out with so much sight reading,
seized his tablet and scrawled imperiously. "Go! I wish to be alone."
With little nods and shrugs the Menankypoos withdrew and as the last yellow robe swished
through the doorway Ruggedo raised one of the golden dumb-bells. To the yellow page who sprang up
apparently from nowhere he handed a slip of paper on which he had written. "Bring four breakfasts and a
bottle of liniment, at once!" The breakfasts were brought and served by a very dumb waiter, the liniment
by the page. Breakfast was Ruggedo's favorite repast and after he had finished all four and directed the
page to rub the back of his neck with the liniment he heaped a pile of pillows under his head and
stretched out luxuriously on his new throne.
"I dare say it's going to be dreadfully dull and dumb here," meditated the Gnome King,
drowsily waving his attendants away, "but at any rate I shall have a good rest. Hah, hoh, hum!" After his
long years of banishment and the weary miles of tramping, the throne of Menankypoo felt so soft and.
delicious that Ruggedo fell asleep and never waked at all for three and a half days. At the end of the third
day, he arose and began to take a little interest in his kingdom. The royal robes of the former monarch
were taken in to fit his funny, crooked little figure, and decked out in shiny satin coat and knee breeches,
and wearing a crown at least a foot high, he strutted proudly about the castle and up and down the
streets of the silent city. But even so, Ruggedo was very far from happy.
It was bad enough not to be able to talk himself, but never to hear anyone else talk was
dreadful indeed. The very animals in Menankypoo were dumb animals and the gnome, used to the talking
beasts of Ev and Oz, kicked the castle cat from sheer disappointment when he found that it could say
nothing, not even "Mew!" The Menankypoos sat about the pleasant gardens holding endless
conversations in their strange sign language or gazing dreamily into space. They were easy-going and
pleasant enough fellows, but their life seemed fearfully dull to the restless little Gnome King.
At first it amused him to wander about the capital at night and see the streets illuminated by the
bright conversation and light talk of his subjects but he soon tired of this, and often in the throne room,
when his ministers and advisers assembled for a conference, the flash and glow from their foreheads was
so annoying that Ruggedo was forced to wear his dark spectacles. Seeing what people say and hearing
what they say are entirely different matters and the monarch of Menankypoo longed for the sound of a
friendly voice. Even an unfriendly one would have been welcome. There were no magic appliances in the
castle and after he had examined all the jewels and counted all the gold pieces in the treasury, tried on
each of his regal robes and reviewed the Yellow Guardsmen a dozen times at least, Ruggedo sank down
on his throne and yawning terrifically wondered what to do next. With all the riches and resources of
Menankypoo at his disposal it seemed a shame to sit still and do nothing.
"Do you realize that with an army like ours, we could conquer every kingdom around here?"
he wrote on his tablet one morning when he and Taka, the fat chancellor of Menankypoo, were
breakfasting in the garden.
"How would your Majesty like to take a little walk along the sea wall?" The Gnome King,
spelling out this question on the fat forehead of his chancellor, saw Taka wink at Kapoosa and make a
slight pushing gesture.
"Hah, if I grow troublesome, they mean to shove me into the sea, as they probably shoved
their former ruler," thought the crafty gnome, and shaking his head in a vigorous 'No" at Taka, he said no
more of conquering. After all, it was better to be a dumb king in Menankypoo than a dumb and despised
peddler in Oz. But every day the silence in the yellow castle grew more oppressive, and Ruggedo spent
much of his time wandering along the sea shore by himself thinking of old times and battles. One morning,
after an unusually long walk, he dropped down on a boulder to rest. The coast at this point was
particularly rough and rugged and back of him rose a sheer wall of irregular rocks. Looking idly at the
jagged mass, Ruggedo noticed a yellow cross on one of the stones. Tucking up his satin cloak, he
scrambled upward and discovered that the rock thus marked was really a door. Extremely interested and
excited, Ruggedo pressed his shoulder against the rock and pushed with all his might. But all his might
was not very mighty and the door refused to budge. Then, suddenly remembering his magic, Ruggedo
pushed the rock right on the yellow cross. Instantly and noiselessly it swung inward and Ruggedo, not
expecting it to open so quickly, plunged headlong into a dim, damp cavern. A yellow lantern suspended
by a chain from the ceiling cast a weird and wavering light over the rocky interior and under the lantern
hung a crooked yellow sign:
THIS IS THE CAVE OF
KADJ THE CONJURER.
Ruggedo, from his exceedingly uncomfortable position on the floor, had just succeeded in reading the
sign when the door, with a whirr and a bang that blew out the lantern, slammed shut, leaving him in utter
darkness.
CHAPTER 3
A Bright Idea Strikes the King
NOW gnomes, like cats and owls, can see in the dark, and Ruggedo's red eyes flashed
fearsomely around the conjurer's cave. His first glance told him that Kadj was not at home. Panting with
relief, for it is extremely dangerous to burst unawares upon strange magicians, Ruggedo rose and began
tiptoeing cautiously about. The stone floor was covered with heavy rugs, the walls hung with jewelled
swords and daggers, mystic maps and magic charts, while in every corner and available space stood
monstrous metal chests studded with gems. There were no chairs nor tables but strewn about were
quantities of soft cushions, and a bubbling green pool in the center filled the air with strange, uneasy
murmurs. As the Gnome King reached the farthest end of the rocky room, a fire sprang up in the grate,
and burning without wood or coal sent its long, flickering blue and yellow lights into every corner of the
cavern.
"If I can just steal some magic and get off before this fellow returns everything will be fine,"
decided Ruggedo, with a greedy glance at the conjurer's chests. Rushing over to the nearest one he tried
to lift The lid. But the chest was locked by some magic and secret process. So were they all, and after
trying each one in turn the gnome, in furious disappointment, jumped five times into the air and kicked a
red cushion into the fireplace. But this did not help matters and only filled the cave with smoke. So,
quieting down, Ruggedo began to examine the walls for secret cupboards or shelves and soon he
discovered a small door under a bright piece of tapestry.
SURE CURE FOR EVERYTHING
said a notice on the door. Without a moment's hesitation Ruggedo turned the knob.
"There may be something in here to restore my speech," thought the excited little fellow,
tugging frantically at the knob. Unlike the chests, it opened quite easily and down fell a blunt axe, striking
Ruggedo such a blow on the forehead that he sailed through the air and fell with a terrific plunk into the
green pond. Three times he sank under the bubbling waves, but the third time up he managed to grasp
the rocky edge of the pool and pull himself out.
"Blazes and bluing!" blubbered the monarch of Menankypoo through his chattering teeth.
"Willygoats and wildcats! If I had that conjurer I'd wring his neck-I'd-" His voice grew louder and louder,
higher and higher, and finally died away in a frightened squeak. "Why, I'm shouting out loud!" sputtered
the startled gnome, his eyes bulging with astonishment. "I can talk! I can sing! I can hear myself think!"
Flinging away his pencil Ruggedo began to laugh, cheer and yell at the top of his new found
voice. There was a large lump on his forehead from the axe, and he was still wet and shivering from his
plunge in the pool, but scarcely noticing these discomforts the delighted old elf ran shouting around the
cave till his breath and his legs gave out together and he sank down exhausted on a heap of cushions.
There he became calmer. Reflecting that any more noise might bring the owner of the cave he stopped
shouting, but he could not refrain from whispering happily to himself just to see whether the enchantment
of The silence stone had really been dispelled by the blow of the axe and the waters of the green pool.
His voice, not heard for five long years, seemed perfectly beautiful to him and we cannot blame the little
rascal for holding long and flowery conversations with himself.
Finally, fully convinced of his cure, Ruggedo hurried to the door of the cave. Clever as Kadj
had proved himself to be, the Gnome King did not wish to run the risk of any more enchantments and
was anxious to leave before the conjurer's return. He had not decided upon any plan, but having regained
his speech he felt that it was but a question of time before he would regain his old kingdom and revenge
himself upon Ozma and her councillors. But entering the conjurer's cave was one thing, leaving it quite
another; and though Ruggedo pushed, pulled and pounded, though he tried long incantations and
mysterious passes, the rock door refused to open. Horrors! What good was it to have his speech
restored if he was to be sealed up in a hidden cavern at the mercy of a strange and powerful sorcerer? In
a panic the Gnome King raced round and round the rocky prison, banging into The great chests, kicking
the conjurer's cushions right and left and hammering frantically on the stony walls.
He had circled the cave twice in his search for a hidden door or crevice and was leaning
wearily against the painted panel beside the fireplace, when he heard a sharp and mysterious ticking. He
put his ear inquiringly to The panel and as the ticking grew louder gave the panel a good hard push.
Immediately and noiselessly it moved aside, revealing a huge and singular looking person in yellow.
Thinking it was Kadj himself Ruggedo jumped back as far as he could and with chattering knees stood
looking up at the great fellow. He was dressed in the stately manner of The Menankypoos, but his head
was of wood and his face was the face of a clock. As Ruggedo continued to gaze up at him the Clock
Man, with a broad wink, stepped out of the narrow aperture and walking over to the mirror above the
fire-place regarded himself long and critically. By this time Ruggedo's curiosity had got the better of his
fright and pattering after the Clock Man he tugged excitedly at his cloak.
"I see by your dress and bearing that you are a subject of Menankypoo. I, for the present, am
its king, and as we are both caught in this miserable cave let us put our heads together and see what can
be done." The Clock Man, who was polishing his glass face with a silk handkerchief, turned round at
Ruggedo's question and studied the gnome closely and curiously. Then he sat down upon a near-by
chest, put his finger tips together and closed his eyes. It was exactly five minutes before twelve by his
clock face, and Ruggedo, expecting him to speak in the same sign language as his other subjects, waited
anxiously for his forehead to light up. But nothing of the kind happened and four minutes ticked off in
silence. Only the great size of the fellow kept Ruggedo from jumping on his foot or kicking him violently
in the shins. Pacing impatiently up and down, the tempery little gnome finally sprang up on a chest
opposite.
"Are you deaf?" he screeched angrily. "Are you dumb? Can't you even make signs?"
At Ruggedo's rude cries the Clock Man stood up and a little door in his forehead flew open.
A yellow bird perched in the doorway gave twelve shrill cuckoos and then with a whirr and a bang
whizzed straight at the Gnome King, striking him with such force and suddenness that he fell over like a
toy soldier shot with a cork gun. Bounding up in a fury, Ruggedo was just in time to see the yellow bird
dart back to its little compartment, the door shut, and the Clock Man stifle a well-bred yawn. Not only
was he a Clock Man, mind you, but a Cuckoo Clock Man! Snatching off his crown, Ruggedo was on
the point of hurling it at the creature's head, when a slip of yellow paper the bird had left on the chest
attracted his attention. Muttering and sputtering, Ruggedo picked up the paper and read what was
written there.
"I am Clocker, the Wise Man of Menankypoo, banished to the conjurer's cave for putting
bright ideas into the head of the former king. As my rescuer, I thank you, and will give you the same
good counsel I gave to my former master. My first advice is: 'Hold your tongue!' How does this strike
your Majesty?"
For a moment Ruggedo stared at the paper, too dumbfounded for words. Then, throwing
caution to the winds, he rushed at the Cuckoo Clock Man and began to thump and hammer him with
both fists.
"How dare You address me in this outrageous fashion, you old false alarm, you? I'll have you
baked, boiled and beheaded for this!" shouted the enraged little gnome.
Clocker did not seem greatly alarmed by these dreadful threats, and grasping Ruggedo by the collar
held him out at arm's length. Then, giving him a couple of good shakes, he dropped him hard on the floor
and taking a book out of his pocket sat down on The chest and calmly began to read. Considerably
subdued and blinking from the shock of his fall, Ruggedo sat thoughtfully on the floor and for several
moments there was not a sound in the cave except the whirr and tick of the Wise Man's works. "After
all," reflected Ruggedo at last, "nothing is to be gained by quarrelling, especially with a fellow three times
my size." So, rising stiffly, he put on his crown and swallowing his anger began to address the Wise Man
in long wheedling sentences.
"As we are both prisoners in this wretched cavern, let us be friends and try to find some way
to escape together," began the Gnome King in a low voice.
The Cuckoo Clock Man looked inquiringly over his book and then nodded so pleasantly that
Ruggedo went on to tell him the whole history of his life, how he had lost his own kingdom and had been
banished and enchanted, how he had come to be monarch of Menankypoo, entered the conjurer's cave
and miraculously regained his speech. Now, concluded the Gnome King, he was not only anxious to
regain his own kingdom but to gain, as well, ascendancy over the whole Land of Oz and revenge himself
upon Ozma and everyone in the Emerald City. The first thing, naturally, was to escape from the cave.
How, queried the wizened little elf, were they to do that? Remembering the shock of Clocker's last
retort, Ruggedo sprang behind a chest and peered anxiously around the corner at the Wise Man.
Ruggedo's story had taken some time to tell and it was now a quarter past twelve, so, almost
as soon as the gnome put his question, the Clock Man spoke, or rather struck again. This time the
cuckoo screamed only once and quite politely carried the yellow paper down to the Gnome King. As
Ruggedo read Clocker's second message, his face grew red with annoyance, but as he was absolutely
dependent upon the Wise Man for help, he managed with an effort to control himself.
"Keep your temper and I will help you," said the yellow slip, "and tell you more than the time.
Unlike most wise men, who talk continuously and say nothing, I speak every fifteen minutes. First, pick
up your writing pad and pencil and, above everything, hold your tongue. If the Menankypoos discover
that you can speak they will throw you into the sea. If we leave the cave together they will throw us both
into the sea. Therefore you must leave the cave alone and act exactly as you did before you came here.
When you reach the castle, collect as much of the gold and as many of the jewels as we can carry and
hide them in a safe place. I will stay here and think up some way for us to leave Menankypoo and reach
Oz. Kadj is away visiting his daughter, Cinderbutton, the witch, and will not return for a month, and as I
do not require food I will be quite comfortable in the cave. On a hook by the fireplace you will find the
conjurer's es-cape. Put on the cape, jump into the fire and you will instantly find yourself outside. Return
to-morrow and I will have something interesting to tell you. But remember, speak one word, and all will
be lost!"
Sitting on the floor Ruggedo read the message over twice. "A fire escape!" he shuddered
uneasily. "Perhaps this is a trick of the Clock Man to get rid of me. Perhaps I shall be burned to a crisp!"
But on the whole the Wise Man's advice seemed sensible, and finally deciding to take a chance Ruggedo
came out from behind the chest, nodded to Clocker to show that he understood and began to look
around for his tablet and pencil. When he had found them he shook hands with The Wise Man and
stepped over to the fireplace. There, sure enough, was a long red cape hanging from a hook beside the
mantel. Wrapping himself in its voluminous folds and feeling exceedingly frightened, Ruggedo jumped
boldly into the fire. The last thing he saw in the Conjurer's Cave was the Wise Man of Menankypoo
looking at him warningly, his fingers to his lips.
Then, lightly as a balloon and without the slightest discomfort or inconvenience the Gnome
King floated up Through the flames and in less than a second found himself on the rocks outside. The
cape itself had vanished and with a gasp of relief Ruggedo realized that he was safe and also free again.
Noting carefully the location of the cavern so that he could return again and resolved under no
circumstance to utter a sound, he started on a run for his castle. Halfway there, happening to glance
casually.. out to sea, he forgot all his good intentions.
"Rubyation!" yelled the gnome, clapping his hands to his head. "What does this mean?"
A great ship with red sails was bearing swiftly down upon Menankypoo and even at that
摘要：

    Pirates In Oz–Oz25 L.FrankBaum                                                                       byRuthPlumlyThompson                                                                                Chapter1                                                                  TheOutcastGnome      ...

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