Of course all those who had joined Glinda'sexpedition at once crossed the bridge to the island,where they were warmly welcomed by the Skeezers. Beforeall the concourse of people Princess Ozma made a speechfrom a porch of the palace and demanded that theyrecognize her as their lawful Ruler and promise to obeythe laws of the Land of Oz. In return she agreed toprotect them from all future harm and declared theywould no longer be subjected to cruelty and abuse.

This pleased the Skeezers greatly, and when Ozma toldthem they might elect a Queen to rule over them, who inturn would be subject to Ozma of Oz, they voted forLady Aurex, and that same day the ceremony of crowningthe new Queen was held and Aurex was installed asmistress of the palace.

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

Glinda, the Wizard and the Adepts stood on the bridgeand recited an incantation that quite filled the lakewith water again, and the Scarecrow and the PatchworkGirl climbed to the top of the Great Dome and replacedthe pane of glass that had been removed to allow Glindaand her followers to enter.

When evening came Ozma ordered a great feastprepared, to which every Skeezer was invited. Thevillage was beautifully decorated and brilliantlylighted and there was music and dancing until a latehour to celebrate the liberation of the people. For theSkeezers had been freed, not only from the water of thelake but from the cruelty of their former Queen.

As the people from the Emerald City prepared the nextmorning 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 theFlatheads. He is liable to come here at any time andtry to annoy us, and my Skeezers are peaceful folks andunable to fight the wild and wilful Flatheads."

"Do not worry," returned Ozma, reassuringly. "Weintend to stop on our way at the Flatheads' EnchantedMountain and punish the Su-dic for his misdeeds."

That satisfied Aurex and when Ozma and her followerstrooped over the bridge to the shore, having takenleave of their friends, all the Skeezers cheered themand waved their hats and handkerchiefs, and the bandplayed and the departure was indeed a ceremony long tobe remembered.

The three Adepts at Magic, who had formerly ruled theFlatheads wisely and considerately, went with PrincessOzma and her people, for they had promised Ozma to stayon the mountain and again see that the laws wereenforced.

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

When the party reached the mountain Ozma and Dorothyshowed them how to pass around the invisible wall --which had been built by the Flatheads after the Adeptswere transformed -- and how to gain the up-and-downstairway that led to the mountain top.

The Su-dic had watched the approach of the party fromthe edge of the mountain and was frightened when he sawthat the three Adepts had recovered their natural formsand were coming back to their former home. He realizedthat his power would soon be gone and yet he determinedto fight to the last. He called all the Flatheadstogether and armed them, and told them to arrest allwho came up the stairway and hurl them over the edge ofthe mountain to the plain below. But although theyfeared the Supreme Dictator, who had threatened topunish them if they did not obey his commands, as soonas they saw the three Adepts they threw down their armsand begged their former rulers to protect them.

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

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

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

Taking them one at a time, she had the can of brainsthat belonged to each one opened and the contentsspread on the flat head, after which, by means of herarts of sorcery, she caused the head to grow over thebrains -- in the manner most people wear them -- andthey were thus rendered as intelligent and good lookingas any of the other inhabitants of the Land of Oz.

When all had been treated in this manner there wereno more Flatheads at all, and the Adepts decided toname their people Mountaineers. One good result ofGlinda's sorcery was that no one could now be deprivedof the brains that belonged to him and each person hadexactly the share he was entitled to.

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

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

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

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

"I'm very glad I went to see these peoples," saidPrincess Ozma, "for I not only prevented any furtherwarfare between them, but they have been freed from therule of the Su-dic and Coo-ee-oh and are now happy andloyal subjects of the Land of Oz. Which proves that itis always wise to do one's duty, however unpleasantthat duty may seem to be."

The Wonderful Oz Books by L. Frank Baum:

The Wizard of OzThe Land of OzOzma of OzDorothy and the Wizard in OzThe Road to OzThe Emerald city of OzThe Patchwork Girl of OzTik-Tok of OzThe Scarecrow of OzRinkitink in OzThe Lost Princess of OzThe Tin Woodman of OzThe Magic of OzGlinda of Oz

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