Oz 22: The Giant Horse of Oz by Ruth Plumly Thompson
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ruth Plumly Thompson

the giant horse of Oz

to my big- best and only brother Richard Shuff Thompson this book is affectionately dedicated .

list of Chapters

1 the king of_the Ozure Isles
2 the golden pear
3 the strange public benefactor
4 Finding a mortal maiden
5 in_the cave of Quiberon
6 the wicked soothsayer
7 the Trials of Tattypoo
8 the man in_the bottle
9 king of_the Uplanders
10 high Times up town
11 the king of cave city
12 escape from cave city
13 the round-abouties
14 aMeeting of Celebrities
15 the shutter Faces
16 the lost queen Returns
17 a royal welcome
18 the tale of Tattypoo
19 another Wishing Pill
20 Rulers east and north

chapter 1

the king of_the Ozure Isles

far to_the north, walled in on all sides by_the craggy slopes of_the Munchkin Mountains, lies the great lost lake of Orizon . and glittering on its blue bosom, like a large and lovely necklace, rest the Ozure Isles of Oz . now Oz itself, this mysterious land about_which we read and hear so often, is a large oblong kingdom divided into four smaller Kingdoms with_the emerald city in_the exact center . here dwells Ozma, the present ruler, a little fairy of great gentleness and power . while all the Kingdoms in Oz are subject to Ozma, each has its own special sovereign .

for instance, the northern country of_the Gillikens is governed by_the good witch Tattypoo; the red land of_the Quadlings, by Glinda the good sorceress of_the south; the western and yellow empire of_the Winkies is under the kindly control of nick chopper, the tin woodman of Oz; the blue Munchkin country is governed by a king of whom nothing much has_been heard for many a long year . but be that as it may, it_is in_the Munchkin country that_the great lost lake of Orizon lies .

the waters of Orizon are deep, salt and dashing, so that_it_is more like an inland sea than a lake . on ancient Oz maps Orizon is marked by a large blue circle, but so steep and impenetrable are the paths over the mountains, so beset with dangerous beasts and yawning chasms, few travelers have glimpsed its sparkling waters, or the islands rising so dazzlingly from its center . on Oz maps today, Orizon is_not shown at all, and_the lost lake and its jeweled islands have long since been forgotten by_the merry inhabitants of Ozma's kingdom .

except for_the blue gulls that circle endlessly over the sapphire city of Cheeriobed, no one thinks of, or visits the Ozure Isles, at all . yet in_the whole curious land of Oz is no kingdom more interesting or delightful . there_are five of_the Ozure Isles, each small and sparkling with flashing cliffs of iridescent gems and shores honeycombed with caves and jeweled grottoes . instead of pebbles, the beaches are strewn with precious stones, opals, rubies and amethyst, turquoise and pearls, but more numerous than any_other of_the precious stones are the glittering sapphires that color the whole island realm with their dazzling blue light, and from_which Cheeriobed, the king, has fashioned his capital city .

the Ozurians number one thousand and seven and_are a tall fair haired race of Munchkins . in olden days they were the happiest, most care- free people in Oz, but that was before Mombi, the wicked witch of_the north, stole the young queen and sent the monster Quiberon to guard the waters of Orizon . since then, the good king and_his subjects have_been virtual prisoners on_the islands . the great flock of sea horses on_which they were wont to ride to_the mainland have_been destroyed by_this pitiless monster and only when Quiberon is sleeping dare the inhabitants venture down to_the shore . you_see in aquariums, the sea horses that abound in_our own tropical waters . well, the sea horses of Orizon were like that, only as large as Arabian steeds, with flashing manes, great winged fins and powerful shining tails . to ride upon their backs must_have been more pleasurable than anything I_can imagine and their loss was one_of_the greatest griefs this island monarch had suffered . one would wonder that so unfortunate a king could endure life at all .

but Cheeriobed was so kind and gay and so naturally merry that even in_the face of all his misfortunes he_was calm and uncomplaining and often had whole days at_a_time when he forgot to_be unhappy . upon his shimmering islands grew everything necessary for comfort and ease and_his subjects were light hearted and industrious and always obedient to_his desires . then, to_see the sun flashing on_the jeweled rocks and sparkling shores of_the Ozure Isles by day and_the moon silvering the spires of_the sapphire city by night would lift the heaviest heart . to further lighten the sorrows of_this good king, there_was Philador, his son . nowhere in_the four Kingdoms of Oz lived agayer, handsomer and more companionable little fellow . then too, Cheeriobed was fortunate enough to_have at his castle a juggler who_could balance ten chairs and some more things upon his chin, a minstrel who knew a thousand songs, and a carpet that could beat itself . so on_the rare occasions when Quiberon lay dozing, life was gay and happy in_the blue castle .

on one such calm and sunny morning, Cheeriobed, his throne drawn close to_the great windows, was gazing dreamily off toward the Munchkin Mountains . he_was thinking of_the old happy days and only half listening to_the strumming of Umtillio, the minstrel . at his side, Toddledy, faithful scribe and prime Moneyster was balancing the castle accounts, while Palumbo, the court juggler, balanced seven books, three ink wells and a gold chair on_the tip of_his nose .

" has your highness ever considered," panted Palumbo, speaking with difficulty because of_the books and ink bottles-" has your highness ever considered how the noses and chins in_this kingdom have_been neglected ? with a little training, I_could teach the Islanders to carry their entire possessions in_this careless and interesting fashion . take your own nose for instance-" the king passed his hand uneasily over his nose and Toddledy looking up from_his accounts began to mutter crossly under his breath ." take your own nose," continued Palumbo persuasively, " with a little practice you_could balance the fire tongs, the screen and_the sapphire clock itself upon_the tip . we'll begin with a few simple exercises ."

Paying no attention to Toddledy, the court juggler set down the books and ink bottles and lifted the huge clock from_the mantel ." now then," he puffed earnestly, " if your highness will kneel and turn the head to_the left ." Cheeriobed with a resigned wink at his prime Moneyster had just got down upon his knees, when ashuddering explosion shook the castle . the jeweled chandeliers rattled like castanets, ornaments left their accustomed places and flew through_the air, chairs slid into corners, and_the carpet that could shake itself, shook off three tables and a chair and rolling up so rapidly it caught Umtillio unawares, reared stiffly on end and stood in a corner .Cheeriobed had fallen heavily to_the floor and small wonder . at_the first tremor Palumbo had dropped the sapphire clock upon his head and taken to_his heels .

"Quiberon ! " quavered Toddledy, rushing over to_the window and drawing aside the blue curtains, " great Totomos- what does he want now ? "

as_if to answer the old prime Moneyster the castle rocked more violently than ever . the waters of Orizon below began to toss and bubble, and presently from their churning depths rose the frightful head of Mombi's monster . no sea serpent was ever uglier than Quiberon, fire shot from_his eye and smoke from_his nostrils . he had the head scales and talons of a dragon and_the long hideous body of a giant fear- fish . as Toddledy clutched at_the curtains to_keep from falling, Quiberon sent a great cloud of smoke upward . it twisted, curled and spiraled, forming itself finally into a long black sentence, the words hanging like a dark threat in_the clear morning air .

" send a mortal maiden to wait upon me or in three days i_will destroy you utterly ! " as Toddledy with smarting eyes read this monstrous message, Quiberon showed all of_his red tusks and dove beneath the waves . at_the same instant Akbad the soothsayer came tearing into_the throne room .

" dunce ! " shrieked Akbad, shaking his long finger under Toddledy's nose, " why do_you stand there idle when_the whole kingdom is in danger ? the king is in danger, the prince is in danger, I, Akbad the soothsayer, am in danger of being destroyed utterly . utterly ! utterly ! utterly ! "

Racing around in a frenzied circle, Akbad began to tear out handfuls of_his hair and cast it upon_the floor . his loud outcries aroused the unconscious monarch .Rubbing the lump that_the sapphire clock had raised upon his forehead, Cheeriobed rose and unsteadily made his way to_the window . the black sentence was growing fainter but was still legible . after reading it twice, the unhappy monarch groaned heavily and dropped his head upon_the sapphire sill ." where are we to_find a mortal maiden and even if_we_do find one, who_would condemn her to such a fate ? " mourned the king .

" here comes Jewlia," panted Toddledy, ducking his head as a small Ozurian came sailing through_the window . each of_the Ozure Islanders took turns serving Quiberon and_the last to_take charge of_his cavern was Jewlia, the court jeweler's daughter . not caring for land food Quiberon had never molested the keepers of_his cavern . so_far, he had satisfied himself with devouring the sea horses, preventing any of_the Ozure Islanders from leaving the Islands and shaking them up whenever he_wished to amuse himself . his treatment of Jewlia was therefore all the more alarming . while the king continued to groan and Akbad to tear out his hair, Toddledy hurried anxiously over to_the little maiden .

" my child ! " stuttered loddledy touching her gently on_the arm-" what has happened, are_you hurt ? "

" i_was only telling him stories," wailed Jewlia, wiping her eyes on her blue silk apron .

"A pernicious and wicked habit," fumed Akbad, shaking his finger at_the trembling little girl ." what kind of stories, may I ask ? "

"Stories about Ozma of Oz and_the three little mortal maids who_have come to live in_the emerald city," sobbed Jewlia ." I_found them in an old history book in my father's shop, and when I finished the last story-" Jewlia paused to wipe her eyes-"Quiberon rushed out_of_the cave, and when he_came back, seized me in_his talons and hurled me through_this window ." Burying her head in her hands Jewlia began to weep afresh .

" there, there," begged Cheeriobed, patting her kindly on_the shoulder ."Don't cry, my dear ."

" let her cry ! " roared Akbad, stamping furiously up and down ." the mischievous wench, with her tales of mortal maidens, has ruined us all . nothing can save us now ." as_if to emphasize his gloomy prediction, the castle began to tremble violently .Holding to_his crown with both hands- it_was inset with cobble stones which are extremely rare on a jeweled island-Cheeriobed sat down hard upon his throne .

" I_must think ! " muttered the king in a faint voice .

" think if_you_can ! " sniffed the soothsayer, hooking his arm around a pillar ." can you_think a mortal maid into_the monster's cave ? can you_think of a way to leave the islands, even ? "

" has your majesty forgotten the golden pear ? " Swinging backward and forward on_the window curtains as_the castle rocked to and fro, Toddledy peered out inquiringly at_the king .

" the pear ! " chattered Cheeriobed ." no one must pick the golden pear . that_is for prince Philador and to_be picked only in times of extreme danger ."

" what do_you call this ? " demanded Akbad indignantly ." are we to_be destroyed without lifting a finger to save ourselves ? "

"Philador ? where is Philador ? " groaned Cheeriobed, putting both hands to_his ears, as Toddledy and Akbad began to scream hoarsely at each_other ." send for_the prince ! " glad to escape from_the confusion, and keeping her footing with difficulty, Jewlia ran off to search for_the little prince . by_the_time she reached the beach, the islands had stopped quivering .Breathlessly Jewlia hastened to_the hidden cove where Philador was usually to_be found sailing his toy fleet . at_the first quake, he had thrown himself face down on_the rocks . but so accustomed was Philador to_the tempers of Quiberon that he thought nothing of_the terrible quakes that rocked the islands from_time to_time . when_the shaking had ceased, Philador jumped up and was unconcernedly feeding the blue gulls as Jewlia came running over the shining sands . as quickly as she_could, Jewlia told him of Quiberon's latest demand and of_his dark threat to destroy the kingdom . then arm in arm they made their way back to_the castle . the carpet that could shake itself had unrolled, and Umtillio, looking terribly tossed and ruffled, was sitting in_the center, plucking out a sad tune upon his harp . he nodded mournfully as_the two children came tip-toeing into_the throne room .Akbad was feverishly thumbing over an old book of necromancy, and Toddledy and Cheeriobed were conversing in subdued whispers .

" the only_one who_can help_us is_the good witch of_the north," mused Cheeriobed, as Philador sank down at his feet and rested his head affectionately against his father's knee .

" let me go to her," begged the little prince eagerly ." surely she will help me find my mother and destroy Quiberon before he destroys us .

Cheeriobed shook his head quickly and decidedly ." no ! no ! it_is too dangerous . besides, there_is no way to cross the lake . we_must think of something else ." Taking off his crown .Cheeriobed gazed sadly off into_the distance . long_ago, word had_been brought by_the blue gulls of_the capture of Mombi, the wicked witch of_the north, by Tattypoo, who now ruled in her stead . great had_been the rejoicing on_the Ozure Isles and hopefully Cheeriobed had waited for Tattypoo to restore his queen and deliver him from_the cruel clutches of Quiberon . but time had passed and nothing had happened . much of Mombi's mischief had_been remedied by_the good witch of_the north, but many of Mombi's misdeeds were_not known to her or anyone else in_the land of Oz, so not knowing of Cheeriobed's misfortunes, Tattypoo had done nothing to help him . but the good king always felt that some day Tattypoo would find out about Quiberon and come to_his rescue . as he continued to gaze unseeingly straight ahead, as Akbad continued to mutter and Toddledy to groan, the little prince grew more and more miserable and unhappy . finally he slipped unnoticed from_the throne room and, running down to_the shores of_the lake, cast himself gloomily on_the

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