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the lost princess of oz-第18节

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gates closed behind them and before them was a skinny



little man who bowed low and said in a sad voice:







〃If you will be so obliging as to dismount; it will



give me pleasure to lead you into the presence of the



World's Most Mighty Ruler; Vig the Czarover。〃







〃I don't believe it!〃 said Dorothy indignantly。







〃What don't you believe?〃 asked the man。







〃I don't believe your Czarover can hold a candle to



our Ozma。〃







〃He wouldn't hold a candle under any circumstances;



or to any living person;〃 replied the man very



seriously; 〃for he has slaves to do such things and the



Mighty Vig is too dignified to do anything that others



can do for him。 He even obliges a slave to sneeze for



him; if ever he catches cold。 However; if you dare to



face our powerful ruler; follow me。〃







〃We dare anything;〃 said the Wizard; 〃so go ahead。〃







Through several marble corridors having lofty



ceilings they passed; finding each corridor and doorway



guarded by servants; but these servants of the palace



were of the people and not giants; and they were so



thin that they almost resembled skeletons。 Finally they



entered a great circular room with a high domed ceiling



where the Czarover sat on a throne cut from a solid



block of white marble and decorated with purple silk



hangings and gold tassels。







The ruler of these people was combing his eyebrows



when our friends entered his throneroom and stood



before him; but he put the comb in his pocket and



examined the strangers with evident curiosity。 Then he



said:







〃Dear me; what a surprise! You have really shocked



me。 For no outsider has ever before come to our City of



Herku; and I cannot imagine why you have ventured to do



so。〃







〃We are looking for Ozma; the Supreme Ruler of the



Land of Oz;〃 replied the Wizard。







〃Do you see her anywhere around here?〃 asked the



Czarover。







〃Not yet; Your Majesty; but perhaps you may tell us



where she is。〃







〃No; I have my hands full keeping track of my own



people。 I find them hard to manage because they are so



tremendously strong。〃







〃They don't look very strong;〃 said Dorothy。 〃It



seems as if a good wind would blow em way out of the



city; if it wasn't for the wall。〃







〃Just so  just so;〃 admitted the Czarover。 〃They



really look that way; don't they? But you must never



trust to appearances; which have a way of fooling one。



Perhaps you noticed that I prevented you from meeting



any of my people。 I protected you with my giants while



you were on the way from the gates to my palace; so



that not a Herku got near you。〃







〃Are your people so dangerous; then?〃 asked the



Wizard。







〃To strangers; yes; but only because they are so



friendly。 For; if they shake hands with you; they are



likely to break your arms or crush your fingers to a



jelly。〃







〃Why?〃 asked Button…Bright。







〃Because we are the strongest people in all the



world。〃







〃Pshaw!〃 exclaimed the boy; 〃that's bragging。 You



prob'ly don't know how strong other people are。 Why;



once I knew a man in Philadelphi' who could bend iron



bars with just his hands!〃







〃But…mercy me!…it's no trick to bend iron bars;〃 said



His Majesty。 〃Tell me; could this man crush a block of



stone with his bare hands?〃







〃No one could do that;〃 declared the boy。







〃If I had a block of stone I'd show you;〃 said the



Czarover; looking around the room。 〃Ah; here is my



throne。 The back is too high; anyhow; so I'll just



break off a piece of that。〃







He rose to his feet and tottered in an uncertain way



around the throne。 Then he took hold of the back and



broke off a piece of marble over a foot thick。







〃This;〃 said he; coming back to his seat; is very



solid marble and much harder than ordinary stone。 Yet I



can crumble it easily with my fingers  a proof that I



am very strong。〃







Even as he spoke he began breaking off chunks of



marble and crumbling them as one would a bit of earth。



The Wizard was so astonished that he took a piece in



his own hands and tested it; finding it very hard



indeed。







Just then one of the giant servants entered and



exclaimed:







〃Oh; Your Majesty; the cook has burned the soup! What



shall we do?〃







〃How dare you interrupt me?〃 asked the Czarover; and



grasping the immense giant by one of his legs he raised



him in the air and threw him headfirst out of an open



window。







〃Now; tell me;〃 he said; turning to Button…Bright;



〃could your man in Philadelphia crumble marble in his



fingers?〃







〃I guess not;〃 said Button…Bright; much impressed by



the skinny monarch's strength。







〃What makes you so strong?〃 inquired Dorothy。







〃It's the zosozo;〃 he explained; 〃which is an



invention of my own。 I and all my people eat zosozo;



and it gives us tremendous strength。 Would you like to



eat some?〃







〃No; thank you;〃 replied the girl。 〃I  I don't want



to get so thin。〃







〃Well; of course one can't have strength and flesh at



the same time;〃 said the Czarover。 〃Zosozo is pure



energy; and it's the only compound of its sort in



existence。 I never allow our giants to have it; you



know; or they would soon become our masters; since they



are bigger than we; so I keep all the stuff locked up



in my private laboratory。 Once a year I feed a



teaspoonful of it to each of my people  men; women



and children  so every one of them is nearly as



strong as I am。 Wouldn't you like a dose; sir?〃 he



asked; turning to the Wizard。







〃Well;〃 said the Wizard; 〃if you would give me a



little zosozo in a bottle; I'd like to take it with me



on my travels。 It might come handy; on occasion。〃







〃To be sure。 I'll give you enough for six doses;〃



promised the Czarover。 〃But don't take more than a



teaspoonful at a time。 Once Ugu the Shoemaker took two



teaspoonsful; and it made him so strong that when he



leaned against the city wall he pushed it over; and we



had to build it up again。〃







〃Who is Ugu the Shoemaker?〃 asked Button…Bright



curiously; for he now remembered that the bird and the



rabbit had claimed Ugu the Shoemaker had enchanted the



peach he had eaten。







〃Why; Ugu is a great magician; who used to live here。



But he's gone away; now;〃 replied the Czarover。







〃Where has he gone?〃 asked the Wizard quickly。







〃I am told he lives in a wickerwork castle in the



mountains to the west of here。 You see; Ugu became such



a powerful magician that he didn't care to live in our



city any longer; for fear we would discover some of his



secrets。 So he went to the mountains and built him a



splendid wicker castle; which is so strong that even I



and my people could not batter it down; and there he



lives all by himself。〃







〃This is good news;〃 declared the Wizard; 〃for I



think this is just the magician we are searching for。



But why is he called Ugu the Shoemaker?〃







〃Once he was a very common citizen here and made



shoes for a living;〃 replied the monarch of Herku。 〃But



he was descended from the greatest wizard and sorcerer



who has ever lived  in this or in any other country …



… and one day Ugu the Shoemaker discovered all the



magical books and recipes of his famous great…grand…



father; which had been hidden away in the attic of his



house。 So he began to study the papers and books and to



practice magic; and in time he became so skillful that;



as I said; he scorned our city and built a solitary



castle for himself。〃







〃Do you think;〃 asked Dorothy anxiously; 〃that Ugu



the Shoemaker would he wicked enough to steal our Ozma



of Oz?〃







〃And the Magic Picture?〃 asked Trot。







〃And the Great Book of Records of Glinda the Good?〃



asked Betsy。







〃And my own magic tools?〃 asked the Wizard。







〃Well;〃 replied Czarover; 〃I won't say that Ugu is



wicked; exactly; but he is very ambitious to become the



most powerful magician in the world; and so I suppose



he would not be too proud to steal any magic things



that belonged to anybody else  if he could manage to



do so。〃







〃But how about Ozma? Why would he wish to steal her?〃



questioned Dorothy。







〃Don't ask me; my dear。 Ugu doesn't tell me wh

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