ke fully a mile from shore to shore, the
waters of which were exquisitely blue and sparkling, with little
wavelets breaking its smooth surface where the breezes touched it. In
the center of this lake appeared a lovely island, not of great extent
but almost entirely covered by a huge round building with glass walls
and a high glass dome which glittered brilliantly in the sunshine.
Between the glass building and the edge of the island was no grass,
flowers or shrubbery, but only an expanse of highly polished white
marble. There were no boats on either shore and no signs of life could
be seen anywhere on the island.

"Well," said Dorothy, gazing wistfully at the island, "we've found the
Lake of the Skeezers and their Magic Isle. I guess the Skeezers are in
that big glass palace, but we can't get at 'em."

Chapter Eight

Queen Coo-ee-oh

Princess Ozma considered the situation gravely. Then she tied her
handkerchief to her wand and, standing at the water's edge, waved the
handkerchief like a flag, as a signal. For a time they could observe no
response.

"I don't see what good that will do," said Dorothy. "Even if the
Skeezers are on that island and see us, and know we're friends, they
haven't any boats to come and get us."

But the Skeezers didn't need boats, as the girls soon discovered. For
on a sudden an opening appeared at the base of the palace and from the
opening came a slender shaft of steel, reaching out slowly but steadily
across the water in the direction of the place where they stood. To the
girls this steel arrangement looked like a triangle, with the base
nearest the water. It came toward them in the form of an arch,
stretching out from the palace wall until its end reached the bank and
rested there, while the other end still remained on the island.

Then they saw that it was a bridge, consisting of a steel footway just
broad enough to walk on, and two slender guide rails, one on either
side, which were connected with the footway by steel bars. The bridge
looked rather frail and Dorothy feared it would not bear their weight,
but Ozma at once called, "Come on!" and started to walk across, holding
fast to the rail on either side. So Dorothy summoned her courage and
followed after. Before Ozma had taken three steps she halted and so
forced Dorothy to halt, for the bridge was again moving and returning
to the island.

"We need not walk after all," said Ozma. So they stood still in their
places an