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when they've stopped looking for us we'll go on to the Emerald City and I will restore your Majesty to
the throne. But first," panted Mombi, stopping a moment to catch her breath, you must promise to give
me back my magic powers and half of the Kingdom of Oz. Do you promise? You'd better," she added
threateningly, giving Humpy a vicious shake.
"But I'm going to the Emerald City with Dorothy," objected the King in dismay. "Let me go,
you old ragbag."
"Yes, how dare you shake his Majesty!" thundered an imperious voice and, whirling 'round in
a fright, Mombi saw the Elegant Elephant looming up between two trees. He had followed them without
a sound and now, snatching Humpy from the clutches of the old witch, placed him carefully upon his
back.
With a cry of rage, Mombi tried to get away, but Kabumpo was too quick for her. Seizing the
witch in his trunk and shaking her to and fro like a rattle, he ran trumpeting back to the others. They had
just discovered Humpy's absence and Pajuka with a hoarse shriek came flying toward the Elegant
Elephant.
"She was trying to steal the King!" panted Kabumpo indignantly. "Shall I throw her over the
mountain or step on her?"
"Step on her," commanded the dummy, extending two fingers of his right hand as he had seen
kings in the movies do time and time again. Mombi gave a terrible screech and Dorothy and Snip looked
uneasily at one another.
"The King has spoken," honked Pajuka, settling down gravely beside the dummy, "therefore
let the sentence be carried out."
Dorothy closed her eyes and clung to Snip, but just then, the calm voice of the tailor
intervened.
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"Your Highness," began Tora gravely, "as this woman is the only one in Oz who can restore
you to your proper self, do you think this step a wise one?"'
The tailor's ears fluttered anxiously as he waited for the King's decision. For an instant Humpy
looked doubtfully at Mombi, then with a sigh lowered his fingers. "Perhaps it would be a rash step," he
admitted regretfully.
"Well, some steps must be taken," honked Pajuka angrily. "Are we to put up with this
treachery forever?"
"No, just until she restores the King," answered Tora mildly.
"Then I shall step on her," promised Kabumpo, giving Mombi another shake.
"That's right," said Dorothy, glad to have the dreadful business delayed. "Mombi must first
restore the King."
"I'll not do it without a reward," screamed the witch defiantly. "Do I get a reward or not?"
The others were silent but Humpy, again extending his fingers, announced grandly, "You shall
be rewarded as you deserve!" He winked at Pajuka as he said this, but Mombi apparently was satisfied
and stopped squirming.
"Well, I can't do it here," she muttered sulkily. "The transformation was made near the Emerald
City and the enchantment cannot he broken until we reach the green country."
"Then let's go on to the Emerald City," proposed Dorothy eagerly. Once there, reflected the
little girl, Ozma herself could settle the whole troublesome business. Somehow Dorothy could not imagine
Oz without the little fairy as its Queen, and while she was glad indeed to have found the lost King, she
could not get used to the idea of Humpy on the throne and administering affairs in Oz.
Humpy, himself, was enjoying it all tremendously. He remembered nothing of his past, it is
true, but the present was sufficiently interesting and exciting to make up for everything.
"On to the Emerald City!" he commanded, pompously waving his arms.
"I hear and I obey, your Majesty," wheezed Kabumpo, and hardly giving the two children and
the old tailor time to climb aboard, he was off, still holding Mombi fast in his trunk.
"But what about the mountain?" asked Snip, as it loomed up suddenly ahead.
"Watch," called Pajuka and while Kabumpo swayed uncertainly before it, he flew straight
through the wall of rocks. Like many another mountain when you come right to it, this was no mountain at
all only a shadow mountain. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]