Of course all those who had joined Glinda’s
expedition at once crossed the bridge to the island,
where they were warmly welcomed by the Skeezers. Before
all the concourse of people Princess Ozma made a speech
from a porch of the palace and demanded that they
recognize her as their lawful Ruler and promise to obey
the laws of the Land of Oz. In return she agreed to
protect them from all future harm and declared they
would no longer be subjected to cruelty and abuse.

This pleased the Skeezers greatly, and when Ozma told
them they might elect a Queen to rule over them, who in
turn would be subject to Ozma of Oz, they voted for
Lady Aurex, and that same day the ceremony of crowning
the new Queen was held and Aurex was installed as
mistress of the palace.

For her Prime Minister the Queen selected Ervic, for
the three Adepts had told of his good judgment,
faithfulness and cleverness, and all the Skeezers
approved the appointment.

Glinda, the Wizard and the Adepts stood on the bridge
and recited an incantation that quite filled the lake
with water again, and the Scarecrow and the Patchwork
Girl climbed to the top of the Great Dome and replaced
the pane of glass that had been removed to allow Glinda
and her followers to enter.

When evening came Ozma ordered a great feast
prepared, to which every Skeezer was invited. The
village was beautifully decorated and brilliantly
lighted and there was music and dancing until a late
hour to celebrate the liberation of the people. For the
Skeezers had been freed, not only from the water of the
lake but from the cruelty of their former Queen.

As the people from the Emerald City prepared the next
morning to depart Queen Aurex said to Ozma:

“There is only one thing I now fear for my people,
and that is the enmity of the terrible Su-dic of the
Flatheads. He is liable to come here at any time and
try to annoy us, and my Skeezers are peaceful folks and
unable to fight the wild and wilful Flatheads.”

“Do not worry,” returned Ozma, reassuringly. “We
intend to stop on our way at the Flatheads’ Enchanted
Mountain and punish the Su-dic for his misdeeds.”

That satisfied Aurex and when Ozma and her followers
trooped over the bridge to the shore, having taken
leave of their friends, all the Skeezers cheered them
and waved their hats and handkerchiefs, and the band
played and the departure was indeed a ceremony long to
be remembered.

The three Adepts at Magic, who had formerly ruled the
Flatheads wisely and considerately, went with Princess
Ozma and her people, for they had promised Ozma to stay
on the mountain and again see that the laws were
enforced.

Glinda had been told all about the curious Flatheads
and she had consulted with the Wizard and formed a plan
to render them more intelligent and agreeable.

When the party reached the mountain Ozma and Dorothy
showed them how to pass around the invisible wall —
which had been built by the Flatheads after the Adepts
were transformed — and how to gain the up-and-down
stairway that led to the mountain top.

The Su-dic had watched the approach of the party from
the edge of the mountain and was frightened when he saw
that the three Adepts had recovered their natural forms
and were coming back to their former home. He realized
that his power would soon be gone and yet he determined
to fight to the last. He called all the Flatheads
together and armed them, and told them to arrest all
who came up the stairway and hurl them over the edge of
the mountain to the plain below. But although they
feared the Supreme Dictator, who had threatened to
punish them if they did not obey his commands, as soon
as they saw the three Adepts they threw down their arms
and begged their former rulers to protect them.

The three Adepts assured the excited Flatheads that
they had nothing to fear.

Seeing that his people had rebelled the Su-dic ran
away and tried to hide, but the Adepts found him and
had him cast into a prison, all his cans of brains
being taken away from him.

After this easy conquest of the Su-dic, Glinda told
the Adepts of her plan, which had already been approved
by Ozma of Oz, and they joyfully agreed to it. So,
during the next few days, the great Sorceress
transformed, in a way, every Flathead on the mountain.

Taking them one at a time, she had the can of brains
that belonged to each one opened and the contents
spread on the flat head, after which, by means of her
arts of sorcery, she caused the head to grow over the
brains — in the manner most people wear them — and
they were thus rendered as intelligent and good looking
as any of the other inhabitants of the Land of Oz.

When all had been treated in this manner there were
no more Flatheads at all, and the Adepts decided to
name their people Mountaineers. One good result of
Glinda’s sorcery was that no one could now be deprived
of the brains that belonged to him and each person had
exactly the share he was entitled to.

Even the Su-dic was given his portion of brains and
his flat head made round, like the others, but he was
deprived of all power to work further mischief, and
with the Adepts constantly watching him he would be
forced to become obedient and humble.

The Golden Pig, which ran grunting about the streets,
with no brains at all, was disenchanted by Glinda, and
in her woman’s form was given brains and a round head.
This wife of the Su-dic had once been even more wicked
than her evil husband, but she had now forgotten all
her wickedness and was likely to be a good woman
thereafter.

These things being accomplished in a satisfactory
manner, Princess Ozma and her people bade farewell to
the three Adepts and departed for the Emerald City,
well pleased with their interesting adventures.

They returned by the road over which Ozma and Dorothy
had come, stopping to get the Sawhorse and the Red
Wagon where they had left them.

“I’m very glad I went to see these peoples,” said
Princess Ozma, “for I not only prevented any further
warfare between them, but they have been freed from the
rule of the Su-dic and Coo-ee-oh and are now happy and
loyal subjects of the Land of Oz. Which proves that it
is always wise to do one’s duty, however unpleasant
that duty may seem to be.”

The Wonderful Oz Books by L. Frank Baum:

The Wizard of Oz
The Land of Oz
Ozma of Oz
Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz
The Road to Oz
The Emerald city of Oz
The Patchwork Girl of Oz
Tik-Tok of Oz
The Scarecrow of Oz
Rinkitink in Oz
The Lost Princess of Oz
The Tin Woodman of Oz
The Magic of Oz
Glinda of Oz

End of Project Gutenberg’s Etext of Glinda of Oz, by L. Frank Baum