<h2 id="c18"><span class="smaller">Chapter 18</span> <br/>Prince Pompadore Proposes</h2>
<p>While Peg and Pompa and the Elegant Elephant
eyed the box, Wag, twitching his nose and mumbling
very fast under his breath, backed rapidly away.
He was not going to run the risk of any more explosions.
So anxious was the big rabbit to put a good
distance between himself and Glegg’s Mixed Magic,
that he never realized that he was backing toward the
giant till a sharp thump on the back of the head
brought him up short.</p>
<div class="pagenum" id="Page_241">241</div>
<p>Trembling in every hair, Wag looked over his
shoulder. <i>Stars!</i> He had run into the terrible, five-toed
foot of the giant himself. At first Wag was too
terrified to move. But suddenly the hair on the back
of his neck bristled erect. He peered at the giant’s
foot more attentively. His eyes snapped and, seizing
a stout stick that lay near by, he brought it down with
all his might on the giant’s toes.</p>
<p>“It’s Ruggedo!” screamed Wag, hopping up and
down with rage. “And I’ll pound his curly toes off.
I don’t care if he is a giant! I’ll pound his curly toes
off!”</p>
<p>The stick whistled through the air and whacked the
giant’s toes again.</p>
<p>Now of course we have known all along that the
giant was Ruggedo, but it was a great surprise for
the rescuers. Ruggedo was bad enough to deal with
as a gnome—but a giant Ruggedo! <i>Horrors!</i></p>
<p>“Stop him! Stop him!” cried Peg Amy, throwing
up her hands and scattering the contents of the box
of magic in every direction.</p>
<p>“What are you trying to do?” roared Kabumpo,
plunging forward. “Get us all trampled on?”</p>
<div class="pagenum" id="Page_242">242</div>
<p>A muffled cry came down from the clouds and, as
Kabumpo dragged Wag back by the ear, something
flashed through the air and bounced upon the Elegant
Elephant’s head.</p>
<p>“It’s the Scarecrow!” chattered Wag, wriggling
from beneath Kabumpo’s trunk. Kabumpo opened
his eyes and peered down at the limp bundle at his
feet. As he looked the bundle began to pull itself
together. It sat up awkwardly and began clutching
itself into shape.</p>
<p>“Where’d you come from?” gasped the Elegant Elephant.
Without speaking, the Scarecrow waved his
hand upward and rose unsteadily to his feet. Then,
catching sight of Peg Amy and Pompadore, the Straw
Man bowed politely. Meanwhile Wag, seeing that
Kabumpo’s attention was diverted, began to sidle
back toward Ruggedo.</p>
<p>“Stop!” cried the Scarecrow, running after him.
“Are you crazy? Don’t you know Ozma’s palace is
on his head? Every time he moves everyone in the
palace tumbles about. Was it you who stirred him up
and made him spill me out of the window?”</p>
<p>“I’ll wake him up some more, the wicked old
scrabble-scratch,” muttered Wag, but Kabumpo
jerked him back roughly.</p>
<div class="pagenum" id="Page_243">243</div>
<div class="fig"> <ANTIMG src="images/i_257.jpg" alt="The Scarecrow waved his hand upward" width-obs="500" height-obs="759" /> <p class="caption"><span class="sc">The Scarecrow waved his hand upward</span></p> </div>
<div class="pagenum" id="Page_244">244</div>
<p>“Great Grump!” choked the Elegant Elephant,
shaking Wag in his exasperation. “Here we’ve come
all this way to save Princess Ozma and now you want
to upset everything.”</p>
<p>“That’s the way to do it,” said the Scarecrow, rolling
his eyes wildly.</p>
<p>“Please stop it, Wag,” begged Peg Amy, throwing
her wooden arms around the big rabbit’s neck, and as
Pompa added his voice to Peg’s, Wag finally threw
down his stick.</p>
<p>“Who is that beautiful girl?” asked the Scarecrow
of Kabumpo. The Elegant Elephant looked at the
Straw Man sharply, to see that he was not poking fun
at the Wooden Doll. Finding he was quite serious, he
said proudly, “That’s Peg Amy, the best little body
in Oz. She’s under my protection,” he added grandly.</p>
<p>Just then Pompa and Peg came over and Wag, who
had often seen the Scarecrow in the Emerald City,
introduced them all.</p>
<p>“Did I understand you to say you had come to rescue
Ozma?” asked the Scarecrow, who could not keep
his eyes off the Elegant Elephant.</p>
<p>“Did I understand you to say Ozma’s palace was
on Ruggedo’s head?” shuddered Kabumpo, glancing
fearfully in the direction of the mountain.</p>
<div class="pagenum" id="Page_245">245</div>
<p>The Scarecrow nodded vigorously and told in a few
words of their terrible journey to Ev and their present
perilous position. How the palace had gotten on Ruggedo’s
head, he admitted was a puzzle to him. Kabumpo
and Pompadore listened with amazement,
especially to the part where they had threatened
Ruggedo with eggs.</p>
<p>“And he’s kept still for two days just on account
of eggs?” gasped the Elegant Elephant incredulously.</p>
<p>“Well, no,” admitted the Scarecrow, wrinkling up
his forehead. “A little man came flying through the
air the first morning and bumped into the palace and
instantly everyone except Scraps and me fell asleep.
Ruggedo was put to sleep, too; we could hear him
snoring.”</p>
<p>“Why, it must have been the Sand Man,” breathed
Peg Amy. “I have heard he lived near here.”</p>
<p>“Are they asleep now?” asked Pompa, clutching
the Scarecrow’s arm. How romantic—thought the
Prince of Pumperdink—to rescue and waken a sleeping
Princess!</p>
<p>But the Scarecrow shook his head. “A few minutes
before I fell out they began to wake up and I’d just
gone to the window to look for Glinda when Ruggedo
gave a howl and ducked his head and here I fell.”
The Scarecrow spread his hands eloquently and smiled
at Peg.</p>
<div class="pagenum" id="Page_246">246</div>
<p>“Has Glinda been here?” asked Kabumpo jealously.</p>
<p>“Yes,” said the Scarecrow. “She came this morning
and she’s been trying all sorts of magic to reduce
Ruggedo without harm to the palace.”</p>
<p>“Great Grump! Do you hear that?” Kabumpo
rolled his eyes anxiously toward the Prince. “If
Glinda’s magic takes effect before ours then where’ll
we be? Peg! Peg! Where’s the box of Mixed
Magic?”</p>
<p>“Would you mind telling me,” burst out the Scarecrow,
who had been examining one after another in
the party with a puzzled expression, “would you mind
telling me how you happened to know about the palace
disappearing; how you got across the sandy desert;
how you expect to help us; how he (with a jerk at
Wag) came to be too large; how she (with a jerk of
his thumb at Peg) came to be alive; and—”</p>
<p>“All in good time; all in good time!” trumpeted
Kabumpo testily. “You sound like the Curious Cottabus!
The principal thing to do now is to save Ozma.
Will Ruggedo stay quiet a little longer?”</p>
<p>“If he’s not disturbed,” said the Scarecrow, with a
meaning glance at Wag.</p>
<div class="pagenum" id="Page_247">247</div>
<p>“Well, my hocks and woop soons!” cried the rabbit
indignantly. “Isn’t anyone going to punish him? He
shook and shook Peg and he meddled with magic and
blew up into a giant. He’s run off with the palace.
Doesn’t he deserve a pounding?”</p>
<p>“Friend,” said the Scarecrow, “I admire your spirit
but my excellent brains tell me that this is a case
where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of
cure. But have we the ounce of prevention?”</p>
<p>“Here’s the Question Box,” announced Peg, who
had run off at Kabumpo’s first call. “What shall we
ask it first?”</p>
<p>“How to save the lovely Princess of Oz,” spoke up
Pompa, running his hand over his scorched locks.
“Where’s my crown, Kabumpo?”</p>
<p>Kabumpo fished the crown from his pocket and
Pompa set it gravely upon his head as Peg asked the
Question Box:</p>
<p>“How shall we save the lovely Princess of Oz?”</p>
<p>These maneuvers so astonished the Scarecrow that
he lost his balance and fell flat on his nose. When he
recovered Peg was clapping her wooden hands and
Kabumpo was dancing on three legs.</p>
<p>“You’re as good as married, my boy!” cried Kabumpo,
thumping the Prince upon the back.</p>
<div class="pagenum" id="Page_248">248</div>
<p>“What is it? What’s happened?” gasped the
Scarecrow.</p>
<p>“Why, the Question Box says to pour three drops
of Trick Tea on Ruggedo’s left foot and two on his
right and he will then march back to the Emerald
City, descend into his cave and, after the palace has
settled firmly on its foundations, he will shrink down
to his former size,” read Peg Amy, holding the Question
Box close to her eyes, for the printing was very
small.</p>
<p>“Hurrah!” cried the Scarecrow, throwing up his
hat. “Peggy, put the kettle on and we’ll all have
some tea! But where’d you get all this magic stuff?”
he asked immediately after.</p>
<p>“Out of a box of Mixed Magic,” puffed Kabumpo,
his little eyes twinkling with anticipation as he
watched Peg. First she filled the tiny kettle at a
near-by brook; then she lit the little lamp and dropped
some of the Trick Tea into the kettle. Bright pink
clouds arose from the kettle, as soon as Peg had set it
over the flame, and while they waited for it to boil
Pompa put another question.</p>
<p>“Has Pumperdink disappeared?” asked the Prince,
in a trembling voice.</p>
<p>“N-o,” spelled the Question Box slowly, and Kabumpo
settled back with a great sigh of relief.</p>
<div class="pagenum" id="Page_249">249</div>
<p>“I told you everything would be all right if you
followed my advice,” said the Elegant Elephant.
“Stand up now and try to forget your black eye. You
are the Prince of Pumperdink and I am the Elegant
Elephant of Oz.”</p>
<p>“But why all the ceremony?” asked the Scarecrow,
looking mystified.</p>
<p>Kabumpo only chuckled to himself and, as the Trick
Tea was now ready, Peg took the little kettle and
began to tip-toe toward Ruggedo.</p>
<p>“I hope it’s red hot,” grumbled Wag resentfully.
“He’s getting off easy, the old scrabble-scratch! Getting
off! Say, look here!” He gestured violently to
Kabumpo. “If Ruggedo returns to the Emerald City
with the palace on his head, where does Pompa come
in?” He pointed a trembling paw at the Prince, his
nose twitching so fast it made the Scarecrow blink.</p>
<p>“Stop!” trumpeted the Elegant Elephant, plunging
after Peg Amy. He reached her just in time.</p>
<p>“I’m no better than Pumper,” grunted Kabumpo,
mopping his brow with the tail of his robe. “Suppose,
after all our hardships, I had allowed Ozma and the
palace to get away without giving Pompa a chance to
ask her—”</p>
<div class="pagenum" id="Page_250">250</div>
<p>“But we ought to save her as quick as we can,”
ventured Peg. “Couldn’t we hurry back to the Emerald
City again?”</p>
<p>“It might be too late,” wheezed Kabumpo. “Let—me—see!”</p>
<div class="fig"> <ANTIMG src="images/i_266.jpg" alt="(unlabelled)" width-obs="600" height-obs="412" /></div>
<p>“Hello!” cried the Scarecrow. “Here comes
Glinda.” As he spoke the swan chariot of the good
Sorceress floated down beside the little party.</p>
<p>“Bother!” groaned Kabumpo, as Glinda stepped
out.</p>
<div class="pagenum" id="Page_251">251</div>
<p>“Some strangers,” called the Scarecrow, gleefully
running toward Glinda, “some strangers with a box
of Mixed Magic trying to help.”</p>
<p>“If we could have a few words with Ozma,” put in
the Elegant Elephant hastily, “everything would be
all right.”</p>
<p>Glinda looked at Kabumpo gravely. “It’s unlawful
to practice magic. You must know that,” said the
Sorceress sternly.</p>
<p>“But it’s not our magic, your Highness,” explained
Peg Amy, setting down the little kettle. “We found
it, and we’re only trying to help Ozma.”</p>
<p>“Well, in that case,” Glinda could not help smiling
at the Wooden Doll’s quaint appearance, “I shall be
glad to assist you, as all of my magic has proved
useless.”</p>
<p>“Aren’t you the Prince of Pumperdink?” she asked,
nodding toward Pompa. The Prince bowed in his
most princely fashion and assured her that he was
and, after a few hasty explanations, Glinda promised
to bring Ozma down in her chariot.</p>
<p>“Tell her,” trumpeted Kabumpo impressively, as
the chariot rose in the air, “tell her that a young
Prince waits below!”</p>
<div class="pagenum" id="Page_252">252</div>
<p>While Pompa was still looking after Glinda’s
chariot, Peg Amy came up to him and extended both
her wooden hands.</p>
<p>“I wish you much happiness, Pompa dear,” said the
Wooden Doll in a low voice.</p>
<p>Pompa pressed Peg’s hands gratefully. “If it
hadn’t been for you I’d never have succeeded. You
shall have everything you wish for now, Peg. Why,
where are you going?”</p>
<p>“Good-bye!” called Peg Amy, trying to keep her
voice as cheerful as her painted face, and before anyone
could stop her she began to run toward a little
grove of trees.</p>
<p>“Come back!” cried the Prince, starting after her.</p>
<p>“Come back!” trumpeted Kabumpo in alarm.</p>
<p>“I’ll get her!” coughed Wag, hopping forward jealously.
“I’ve known her the longest.”</p>
<p>Pompa and Kabumpo both started to run, too, but
just at that minute down swooped the chariot and out
jumped Ozma, the lovely little Ruler of Oz.</p>
<p>“At last!” gasped Kabumpo, pushing Pompa forward.</p>
<p>If Ozma was startled by their singular appearance,
she was too polite to say so, and she returned Pompa’s
deep bow with a still deeper curtsey.</p>
<div class="pagenum" id="Page_253">253</div>
<p>“Glinda tells me you have come a long, long way
just to help me,” said Ozma anxiously. “Is that so?”</p>
<p>“Princess!” cried Pompa, falling on his knee. “I
know you are worried about your palace and your
Courtiers and your friends. Two drops of that Triple
Trick Tea (he waved at the small kettle) upon Ruggedo’s
right foot and three on his left will set everything
right!”</p>
<p>“But where did you get it—and why?” Ozma
looked doubtfully at the Scarecrow.</p>
<p>“Might as well try it,” advised the Scarecrow.</p>
<p>“We will explain everything later,” puffed the Elegant
Elephant. “Trust old Kabumpo, your Highness,
and everything will turn out happily.”</p>
<p>“I believe I will,” smiled Ozma. “Will you try the
Trick Tea, Glinda?”</p>
<p>Glinda took the kettle and poured it exactly as
directed. First Ruggedo gave a gusty sigh that blew
the clouds about in every direction.</p>
<p>“Look out!” warned Glinda.</p>
<p>Next instant they all fluttered down like a pack of
cards, for Ruggedo had taken a step—a giant step
that shook the earth as if it had been a block of
jelly—and when they had picked themselves up Ruggedo
was out of sight, tramping like a giant in a
dream, back toward the Emerald City.</p>
<div class="fig"> <ANTIMG src="images/i_267.jpg" alt="Ruggedo, tramping like a giant in a dream, back to the Emerald City" width-obs="600" height-obs="800" /> <p class="caption"><span class="sc">Ruggedo, tramping like a giant in a dream, back to the Emerald City</span></p> </div>
<div class="pagenum" id="Page_254">254</div>
<p>“You wait here!” cried Glinda to Ozma. “And I’ll
follow him!” She sprang into her chariot.</p>
<p>“How do you know he’ll go back?” asked the little
Ruler of Oz, staring with straining eyes for a glimpse
of the giant.</p>
<p>“Because the Question Box said so,” chuckled Kabumpo
triumphantly.</p>
<p>“Good magic!” approved the Scarecrow. “But
where is that charming Peg? I think I’ll run find
her.”</p>
<p>No sooner had the Scarecrow disappeared than
Pompa, swallowing very hard, again approached
Ozma. But Ozma, still looking after Glinda’s vanishing
chariot, was hardly aware of the Prince of Pumperdink.</p>
<p>Poor Pompa dropped on his knee (which had a
large hole in it by this time) and began mumbling
indistinct sentences. Then, as Kabumpo frowned
with disgust, the Prince burst out desperately, “Princess,
will you marry me?”</p>
<p>“Marry you?” gasped the little Ruler of Oz. “Good
gracious, <i>no</i>!”</p>
<div class="pagenum" id="Page_255">255</div>
<div class="fig"> <ANTIMG src="images/i_271.jpg" alt="(unlabelled)" width-obs="500" height-obs="491" /></div>
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