When Glinda the Good and her followers of the RescueExpedition came in sight of the Enchanted Mountain ofthe Flatheads, it was away to the left of them, for theroute they had taken through the Great Forest was somedistance from that followed by Ozma and Dorothy.

They halted awhile to decide whether they should callupon the Supreme Dictator first, or go on to the Lakeof the Skeezers.

"If we go to the mountain," said the Wizard, "we mayget into trouble with that wicked Su-dic, and then wewould be delayed in rescuing Ozma and Dorothy. So Ithink our best plan will be to go to the SkeezerCountry, raise the sunken island and save our friendsand the imprisoned Skeezers. Afterward we can visit themountain and punish the cruel magician of theFlatheads."

"That is sensible," approved the Shaggy Man. "I quiteagree with you."

The others, too, seemed to think the Wizard's planthe best, and Glinda herself commended it, so on theymarched toward the line of palm trees that hid theSkeezers' lake from view.

Pretty soon they came to the palms. These were setclosely together, the branches, which came quite to theground, being so tightly interlaced that even the GlassCat could scarcely find a place to squeeze through. Thepath which the Flatheads used was some distance away.

"Here's a job for the Tin Woodman," said theScarecrow.

So the Tin Woodman, who was always glad to be of use,set to work with his sharp, gleaming axe, which healways carried, and in a surprisingly short time hadchopped away enough branches to permit them all to passeasily through the trees.

Now the clear waters of the beautiful lake werebefore them and by looking closely they could see theoutlines of the Great Dome of the sunken island, farfrom shore and directly in the center of the lake.

Of course every eye was at first fixed upon thisdome, where Ozma and Dorothy and the Skeezers werestill fast prisoners. But soon their attention wascaught by a more brilliant sight, for here was theDiamond Swan swimming just before them, its long neckarched proudly, the amethyst eyes gleaming and all thediamond-sprinkled feathers glistening splendidly underthe rays of the sun.

"That," said Glinda, "is the transformation of QueenCoo-ce-oh, the haughty and wicked witch who betrayedthe three Adepts at Magic and treated her people likeslaves."

"She's wonderfully beautiful now," remarked theFrogman.

"It doesn't seem like much of a punishment," saidTrot. "The Flathead Su-dic ought to have made her atoad."

"I am sure Coo-ee-oh is punished," said Glinda, "forshe has lost all her magic power and her grand palaceand can no longer misrule the poor Skeezers."

"Let us call to her, and hear what she has to say,"proposed the Wizard.

So Glinda beckoned the Diamond Swan, which swamgracefully to a position near them. Before anyone couldspeak Coo-ee-oh called to them in a rasping voice --for the voice of a swan is always harsh and unpleasant-- and said with much pride:

"Admire me, Strangers! Admire the lovely Coo-ee-oh,the handsomest creature in all Oz. Admire me!"

"Handsome is as handsome does," replied theScarecrow. "Are your deeds lovely, Coo-ce-oh?"

"Deeds? What deeds can a swan do but swim around andgive pleasure to all beholders?" said the sparklingbird.

"Have you forgotten your former life? Have youforgotten your magic and witchcraft?" inquired theWizard.

"Magic -- witchcraft? Pshaw, who cares for such sillythings?" retorted Coo-ee-oh. "As for my past life, itseems like an unpleasant dream. I wouldn't go back toit if I could. Don't you admire my beauty, Strangers?"

"Tell us, Coo-ee-oh," said Glinda earnestly, "if youcan recall enough of your witchcraft to enable us toraise the sunken island to the surface of the lake.Tell us that and I'll give you a string of pearls towear around your neck and add to your beauty."

"Nothing can add to my beauty, for I'm the mostbeautiful creature anywhere in the whole world."

"But how can we raise the island?"

"I don't know and I don't care. If ever I knew I'veforgotten, and I'm glad of it," was the response. "Justwatch me circle around and see me glitter!

"It's no use," said Button Bright; "the old Swan istoo much in love with herself to think of anythingelse."

"That's a fact," agreed Betsy with a sigh; "but we'vegot to get Ozma and Dorothy out of that lake, somehowor other."

"And we must do it in our own way," added theScarecrow.

"But how?" asked Uncle Henry in a grave voice, for hecould not bear to think of his dear niece Dorothy beingout there under water; "how shall we do it?"

"Leave that to Glinda," advised the Wizard, realizinghe was helpless to do it himself.

"If it were just an ordinary sunken island," said thepowerful sorceress, "there would be several ways bywhich I might bring it to the surface again. But thisis a Magic Isle, and by some curious art of witchcraft,unknown to any but Queen Coo-ce-oh, it obeys certaincommands of magic and will not respond to any other. Ido not despair in the least, but it will require somedeep study to solve this difficult problem. If the Swancould only remember the witchcraft that she inventedand knew as a woman, I could force her to tell me thesecret, but all her former knowledge is now forgotten."

"It seems to me," said the Wizard after a briefsilence had followed Glinda's speech, "that there arethree fishes in this lake that used to be Adepts atMagic and from whom Coo-ee-oh stole much of herknowledge. If we could find those fishes and returnthem to their former shapes, they could doubtless tellus what to do to bring the sunken island to thesurface."

"I have thought of those fishes," replied Glinda,"but among so many fishes as this lake contains how arewe to single them out?"

You will understand, of course, that had Glinda beenat home in her castle, where the Great Book of Recordswas, she would have known that Ervic the Skeezeralready had taken the gold and silver and bronze fishesfrom the lake. But that act had been recorded in theBook after Glinda had set out on this journey, so itwas all unknown to her.

"I think I see a boat yonder on the shore," said Ojothe Munchkin boy, pointing to a place around the edgeof the lake. "If we could get that boat and row allover the lake, calling to the magic fishes, we might beable to find them."

"Let us go to the boat," said the Wizard.

They walked around the lake to where the boat wasstranded upon the beach, but found it empty. It was amere shell of blackened steel, with a collapsible roofthat, when in position, made the submarine watertight,but at present the roof rested in slots on either sideof the magic craft. There were no oars or sails, nomachinery to make the boat go, and although Glindapromptly realized it was meant to be operated bywitchcraft, she was not acquainted with that sort ofmagic.

"However," said she, "the boat is merely a boat, andI believe I can make it obey a command of sorcery, aswell as it did the command of witchcraft. After I havegiven a little thought to the matter, the boat willtake us wherever we desire to go."

"Not all of us," returned the Wizard, "for it won'thold so many. But, most noble Sorceress, provided youcan make the boat go, of what use will it be to us?"

"Can't we use it to catch the three fishes?" askedButton Bright.

"It will not be necessary to use the boat for thatpurpose," replied Glinda. "Wherever in the lake theenchanted fishes may be, they will answer to my call.What I am trying to discover is how the boat came to beon this shore, while the island on which it belongs isunder water yonder. Did Coo-ee-oh come here in the boatto meet the Flatheads before the island was sunk, orafterward?"

No one could answer that question, of course; butwhile they pondered the matter three young men advancedfrom the line of trees, and rather timidly bowed to thestrangers.

"Who are you, and where did you come from?" inquiredthe Wizard.

"We are Skeezers," answered one of them, "and ourhome is on the Magic Isle of the Lake. We ran away whenwe saw you coming, and hid behind the trees, but as youare Strangers and seem to be friendly we decided tomeet you, for we are in great trouble and needassistance."

"If you belong on the island, why are you here?"demanded Glinda.

So they told her all the story: How the Queen haddefied the Flatheads and submerged the whole island sothat her enemies could not get to it or destroy it;how, when the Flatheads came to the shore, Coo-ee-ohhad commanded them, together with their friend Ervic,to go with her in the submarine to conquer the Su-dic,and how the boat had shot out from the basement of thesunken isle, obeying a magic word, and risen to thesurface, where it opened and floated upon the water.

Then followed the account of how the Su-dic hadtransformed Coo-ee-oh into a swan, after which she hadforgotten all the witchcraft she ever knew. The youngmen told how, in the night when they were asleep, theircomrade Ervic had mysteriously disappeared, while theboat in some strange manner had floated to the shoreand stranded upon the beach.

That was all they knew. They had searched in vain forthree days for Ervic. As their island was under waterand they could not get back to it, the three Skeezershad no place to go, and so had waited patiently besidetheir boat for something to happen.

Being questioned by Glinda and the Wizard, they toldall they knew about Ozma and Dorothy and declared thetwo girls were still in the village under the GreatDome. They were quite safe and would be well cared forby Lady Aurex, now that the Queen who opposed them wasout of the way.

When they had gleaned all the information they couldfrom these Skeezers, the Wizard said to Glinda:

"If you find you can make this boat obey yoursorcery, you could have it return to the island,submerge itself, and enter the door in the basementfrom which it came. But I cannot see that our going tothe sunken island would enable our friends to escape.We would only Join them as prisoners."

"Not so, friend Wizard," replied Glinda. "If the boatwould obey my commands to enter the basement door, itwould also obey my commands to come out again, and Icould bring Ozma and Dorothy back with me."

"And leave all of our people still imprisoned?" askedone of the Skeezers reproachfully.

"By making several trips in the boat, Glinda couldfetch all your people to the shore," replied theWizard.

"But what could they do then?" inquired anotherSkeezer. "They would have no homes and no place to go,and would be at the mercy of their enemies, theFlatheads."

"That is true," said Glinda the Good. "And as thesepeople are Ozma's subjects, I think she would refuse toescape with Dorothy and leave the others behind, or toabandon the island which is the lawful home of theSkeezers. I believe the best plan will be to summon thethree fishes and learn from them how to raise theisland."

The little Wizard seemed to think that this wasrather a forlorn hope.

"How will you summon them," he asked the lovelySorceress, "and how can they hear you?"

"That is something we must consider carefully,"responded stately Glinda, with a serene smile. "Ithink I can find a way."

All of Ozma's counsellors applauded this sentiment,for they knew well the powers of the Sorceress.

"Very well," agreed the Wizard. "Summon them, mostnoble Glinda."