"The island," said Glinda thoughtfully, "rests on a
base of solid marble. When it is submerged, as it is
now, the base of the island is upon the bottom of the
lake. What puzzles me is how such a great weight can be
lifted and suspended in the water, even by magic."
"I now remember," returned Aujah, "that one of the
arts we taught Coo-ee-oh was the way to expand steel,
and I think that explains how the island is raised and
lowered. I noticed in the basement a big steel pillar
that passed through the floor and extended upward to
this palace. Perhaps the end of it is concealed in this
very room. If the lower end of the steel pillar is
firmly embedded in the bottom of the lake, Coo-ee-oh
could utter a magic word that would make the pillar
expand, and so lift the entire island to the level of
the water."
"I've found the end of the steel pillar. It's just
here," announced the Wizard, pointing to one side of
the room where a great basin of polished steel seemed
to have been set upon the floor.
They all gathered around, and Ozma said:
"Yes, I am quite sure that is the upper end of the
pillar that supports the island. I noticed it when I
first came here.
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