Озма з країни Оз
9. The Royal Family of Ev
But,inanycase,hemustbemadetoliberatetheprisoners."
"MyuncleEvoldowasaverywickedman,"declaredthePrincessLangwidere."Ifhehaddrownedhimselfbeforehesoldhisfamily,noonewouldhavecared.ButhesoldthemtothepowerfulNomeKinginexchangeforalonglife,andafterwarddestroyedthelifebyjumpingintothesea."
"Then,"saidOzma,"hedidnotgetthelonglife,andtheNomeKingmustgiveuptheprisoners.Wherearetheyconfined?"
"Nooneknows,exactly,"repliedthePrincess."Fortheking,whosenameisRoquatoftheRocks,ownsasplendidpalaceunderneaththegreatmountainwhichisatthenorthendofthiskingdom,andhehastransformedthequeenandherchildrenintoornamentsandbric-a-bracwithwhichtodecoratehisrooms."
"I’dliketoknow,"saidDorothy,"whothisNomeKingis?"
"Iwilltellyou,"repliedOzma."HeissaidtobetheRuleroftheUndergroundWorld,andcommandstherocksandallthattherockscontain.UnderhisrulearemanythousandsoftheNomes,whoarequeerlyshapedbutpowerfulspritesthatlaboratthefurnacesandforgesoftheirking,makinggoldandsilverandothermetalswhichtheyconcealinthecrevicesoftherocks,sothatthoselivingupontheearth’ssurfacecanonlyfindthemwithgreatdifficulty.Alsotheymakediamondsandrubiesandemeralds,whichtheyhideintheground;sothatthekingdomoftheNomesiswonderfullyrich,andallwehaveofpreciousstonesandsilverandgoldiswhatwetakefromtheearthandrockswheretheNomeKinghashiddenthem."
"Iunderstand,"saidDorothy,noddingherlittleheadwisely.
